Page 29 - Volume 15 Number 3

horsepower The primary focus was on minimizing manufacturing costs while achieving a a price level below $4 000 The first airplane developed was designated the Curtiss-Wright Travel Air Model CW-12Q that was powered by an inline upright four- cylinder Wright Gypsy L-320 engine that produced 90 horsepower at at 2 000 RPM The Gypsy powerplant was a a British design built in the United States under license and also powered the popular British de Havilland Gypsy Moth biplane Construction of the 12Q was typical of that era – welded steel tube fuselage with the four wing panels built up from laminated spruce spars and plywood ribs The wing leading edges were sheathed in in metal The Model 12 wing configuration featured a a a a zero angle of incidence a a positive interplane stagger of 28 inches and a a a a dihedral of 1 5 degrees According to Curtiss- Wright technical information the wing structure spars ribs and fittings were all interchangeable not only with other Model 12-series ships but also with some other models of Curtiss-Wright light airplanes The empennage structure was fabricated using welded steel tubing and the entire airframe was covered in cotton fabric that was shrunk tight with butyrate dope The conventional landing gear arrangement included a a a welded steel main gear fitted with 6 50 x 10 semi- airwheels with mechanical brakes and a a a a non-steerable tailskid General specifications for the Model 12Q Include:
= Length: 21 feet five inches = Height: 8 feet 10 inches = Wing span (upper panels): 28 feet 10 inches (lower panels): 26 feet 4 inches = Wing chord (upper and lower panels): 48 inches = Wing area (upper panels): 113 4 square feet (lower panels): 93 square feet = Wing loading: 8 15 pounds per square foot
= Power loading: 17 72 pounds per horsepower = Airfoil Section: Clark Y-15
= Empty weight: 1 1 071 pounds = Gross weight: 1 725 pounds = Useful load: 654 pounds = Fuel capacity: 33 gallons
= Maximum speed: 105 mph
= Landing speed: 44 mph
= Ceiling: 12 000 feet = Rate of climb (sea level): 600 feet per minute
= Cruising range: 390 statute miles (at 6 5 gallons
per hour fuel consumption) 1 Price for a a a standard-equipped airplane was $3 500 As the market for small aircraft worsened the price was reduced to the point where production was terminated A prototype 12Q was completed in in 1930 and initial flights were conducted by Lloyd Child test pilot for the Curtiss-Wright Airplane Company in St Louis In February 1931 the Aeronautics Branch of the United States Department of Commerce issued Approved Type Certificate (ATC) number 401 for the Model 12Q Late in 1930 production of the Model 12Q began at the Travel Air factory in Wichita and continued until June 1931 when production activities at at that facility were gradually decreased A total of 27 Model 12Q aircraft were built Introduced at the 1931 Detroit Aviation Show Curtiss-Wright Airplane Company touted the qualities of the new Model 12Q:
“What Curtiss-Wright learned from the [Travel Air] Mystery Ship fastest commercial airplane in the world Curtiss-Wright now 21 11 25 • KING AIR MAGAZINE MARCH 2021 MARCH 2021 KING AIR MAGAZINE • 27