CW-12 Sport Trainer and CW-16 Light Sport

Curtiss-Wright Travel Air CW-12W (built 2009)
Role	Civil trainer Type of aircraft
Manufacturer	Curtiss-Wright
First flight	1931
Status	Some airworthy in 2009
Primary user	Private owners
Number built	63

The Curtiss-Wright CW-12 Sport Trainer and CW-16 Light Sport (also marketed under the Travel Air brand that Curtiss-Wright had recently acquired) were high-performance training aircraft designed by Herbert Rawdon and Ted Wells and built in the United States in the early 1930s.

Development

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The CW-12 and CW-16 shared the same basic design as conventional single-bay biplanes with staggered wings braced with N-struts. The pilot and instructor sat in tandem, open cockpits, the forward cockpit of the CW-12 having a single seat, while the CW-16's forward cockpit could seat two passengers side-by-side. Both versions of the aircraft were available in a variety of engine choices, and some CW-16s were exported as trainers to the air forces of Bolivia and Ecuador.

Variants

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CW-12

CW-12K - version powered by 125 hp (93 kW) Kinner K-5 engine. Two built.^[1]
CW-12Q - version powered by 90 hp (67 kW) Wright-built de Havilland Gipsy. 26 built.^[1]
CW-12W - version powered by 110 hp (82 kW) Warner Scarab. 12 built^[1] + 1 replica

CW-16

CW-16E - version powered by Wright J-6 Whirlwind 5 engine. (10 built).^[2]
CW-16K - version powered by Kinner B-5 engine (11 built).^[2]
CW-16W - version powered by Warner Scarab engine (1 built).^[2]

Operators

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Civil owners in USA and United Kingdom

Argentina

Argentine Navy purchased 15 CW-16Es in 1935, with 13 more possibly being built from 1938. The type remained in use until 1949.^[3]

Bolivia

Bolivian Air Force purchased three CW-16s in 1934, with the type in use until 1943.^[4]

Brazil

Brazilian Air Force received 15 CW-16Ws, with 125 hp (93 kW) Warner Scarab engines in 1935, the type remaining in service until 1940.^[4]

Colombia

Colombian Air Force received six CW-16s in 1933.^[4]

Ecuador

Ecuadorian Air Force purchased six CW-16Es in 1935, with three more CW-16s following in 1936. Three remained in use until 1944.^[5]

Specifications (CW-12Q)

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Data from Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947^[6]

General characteristics

Crew: 2
Length: 21 ft 5 in (6.53 m)
Wingspan: 28 ft 10 in (8.79 m)
Height: 8 ft 10 in (2.69 m)
Wing area: 206 sq ft (19.1 m²)
Airfoil: Clark Y (15%)^[7]
Empty weight: 1,071 lb (486 kg)
Gross weight: 1,725 lb (782 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Curtiss-Wright licence-built de Havilland Gipsy 4-cylinder air-cooled in-line piston engine, 90 hp (67 kW)
Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

Maximum speed: 105 mph (169 km/h, 91 kn)
Cruise speed: 88 mph (142 km/h, 76 kn)
Range: 390 mi (630 km, 340 nmi)
Service ceiling: 12,000 ft (3,700 m)
Rate of climb: 600 ft/min (3.0 m/s)

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Curtiss-Wright CW-12.

Citations

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^ ^a ^b ^c Bowers 1979, p.402.
^ ^a ^b ^c Bowers 1979, p. 408.
^ Hagedorn Air Enthusiast March to May 1992, p. 76.
^ ^a ^b ^c Hagedorn Air Enthusiast March to May 1992, p. 75.
^ Hagedorn Air Enthusiast March to May 1992, pp. 75–76.
^ Bowers 1979, p.403.
^ Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.

Bibliography

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Bowers, Peter M. (1979). Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-10029-8.
Hagedorn, Dan (March–May 1992). "Curtiss Types In Latin America". Air Enthusiast. No. Forty–five. pp. 61–77. ISSN 0143-5450.
Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 288.
World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 891 Sheet 54.

v t e Travel Air aircraft
Early letter base designations	A B BH BW CH CW R
1000 series designations	1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 11000
Late Numerical Designations	4 6 10 11 12 14 15 16
Names	Anchorage No.1 Maiden Wichita Mystery Ship Ted Wells Special Texaco 13 Woolaroc

Curtiss and Curtiss-Wright aircraft

Manufacturer
designations

Early types	Golden Flier Reims Racer Beachey Special
Model letters	C D E F FL GS H HA HS J JN -5 -6H K L MF N NC O R S T
Model numbers	1 B F 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 K/P 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 A B 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 I P S 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
"L" series	L-17 L-18 L-19 L-22 L-41 L-44 L-72 L-79 L-85 L-115 L-117 L-710
"CA" series	CA-1
"CR" series	CR-1 CR-2
"CW" series	CW-1 CW-2 CW-3 CW-4 CW-5 CW-6 CW-8 CW-9 CW-10 CW-11 CW-12 CW-14 CW-15 CW-16 CW-17 CW-18² CW-19 CW-20 CW-21 CW-22 CW-23 CW-24 CW-25 CW-26 CW-27 CW-28 CW-29 CW-32 CW-33 CW-40
"P" series	P-200 P-202 P-212 P-218 P-219 P-222 P-223 P-224 P-225 P-227 P-228 P-229 P-232 P-235 P-238 P-239 P-240 P-241 P-243 P-244 P-245 P-247 P-248 P-249 P-250 P-251 P-252 P-253 P-254 P-255 P-256 P-257 P-259 P-261 P-264 P-268 P-269 P-272 P-273 P-274 P-275 P-276 P-277 P-278 P-279 P-280 P-282 P-283 P-291 P-292 P-293 P-295 P-296 P-297 P-298 P-299 P-302 P-303 P-304 P-305 P-306 P-307 P-509 P-517 P-518 P-538 P-539 P-541 P-545 P-551 P-558 P-565 P-586 P-588 P-592
"X" series	X-100 X-200 X-300 X-410 X-425

Operator and role

Civil

Experimental	No. 1 Model C SX-5-1 Tanager
Racers and record	No. 2 Cox Racer CW-B-14R
Airliners	Eagle Condor 18 Condor II Kingbird Thrush Commando
Utility	Model D Model E Model F Carrier Pigeon Falcon Robin Lark 6B CW-12 CW-14 Sportsman CW-15 Sedan CW-16 CW-19W

Army

Ground attack	A-3 A-4 A-5 A-6 A-8 YA-10 A-12 YA-14 A-18 A-25 A-40 XA-43
Bombers	NBS-1 B-2 XNBS-4
Transports	XC-10 C-30 Condor C-46 Commando C-55 Commando C-76 C-113 Commando
Fighters	S 18 PN-1 PW-8 P-1 to P-5 P-6 XP-10 P-11 P-14² P-17 XP-18² XP-19² YP-20 XP-21 XP-22 XP-23 XP-31 P-36 YP-37 P-40 XP-42 XP-46 XP-53 XP-55 YP-60 XP-62 XP-71 XP-87
Observation	O-1 O-11 O-12 O-13 O-16 O-18 O-24² O-26 XO-30² O-39 O-40 O-52
Racers	R-6 R-8
Trainers	J L JN Fledgling AT-4 Hawk AT-5 Hawk BT-4 AT-9 Jeep
Experimental	X-19
Licensed	USAO-1 NBS-1/Model 30

Navy

Bombers	CT BFC BF2C SBC SB2C XSB3C² XBTC XBT2C
Fighters	HA GS TS-1 FC F2C F3C F4C F5C¹ F6C F7C F8C F9C F10C F11C XF12C F13C XF14C XF15C
Observation/scout	CS/SC S2C XS3C S4C SC OC O2C O3C SOC SO2C SO3C
Trainers	N-9 N2C SNC
Transports	RC R4C R5C
Maritime patrol	H-16 F5L HS-1L & HS-2L
Racers and record	NC CR R2C R3C

Export

Bombers	Canada CW-14 Osprey
Maritime patrol	H-2, H-4, H-8 and H-16 F5L HS-2L
Fighters	CW-17 Pursuit Osprey² CW-21 Demon
Trainers	Canuck CW-14 Osprey CW-16 CW-18² CW-22

¹ Designation skipped ² Not built