Wikipedia

Buhl-Verville CA-3 Airster

The Buhl-Verville CA-3 Airster (also known as the J4 Airster, after its engine), was a utility aircraft built in the United States in 1926, notable as the first aircraft to receive a type certificate in the United States,[2][3][4][5] (A.T.C. No. 1) issued by the Aeronautics Branch of the United States Department of Commerce on March 29, 1927.[5][6] It was a conventional single-bay biplane with equal-span unstaggered wings and accommodation for the pilot and passengers in tandem open cockpits. Marketed for a variety of roles including crop-dusting, aerial photography, and freight carriage, only a handful were built, some with water-cooled engines as the CW-3, and others with air-cooled engines as the CA-3.

CA-3 Airster
General information
TypeUtility aircraft
ManufacturerBuhl
Designer
Number built20[1]
History
First flight1926

One CA-3, piloted by Louis Meister, placed second in the 1926 Ford National Reliability Air Tour.[7] Another, designated the CA-3A placed third in the 1927 Air Derby, piloted by Nick Mamer.[citation needed]

The United States Army evaluated one CW-3 and one CA-3 as trainers, but purchased neither of them.[citation needed]

Versions

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CA

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  • CA-3 Airster, a.k.a. J4 Airster or B-V Airster (1926)
  • CA-3A Airster (1926)
  • CA-3B Airster (1926)
    • one built
The CW-3 OX5 Airster (1925) with folding wings

CW

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  • CW-3 OX5 Airster (1925)[8]
    • 90 hp (67 kW) Curtiss OX-5
    • useful load: 770 lb (349 kg)
    • range: 475 miles (764 km; 413 nmi)
    • folding wings
    • three built
  • CW-3 Wright Trainer (1926)
    • 220 hp (164 kW) Wright J-5
    • useful load: 885 lb (401 kg)
    • range: 450 miles (724 km; 391 nmi)
    • one built for unsuccessful U.S. Army trainer trials

Specifications (CA-3A)

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Data from Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1928[9]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Capacity: 2 pax, max useful load 885 lb (401 kg)
  • Length: 24 ft 7.5 in (7.506 m)
  • Wingspan: 35 ft 8 in (10.87 m)
  • Height: 8 ft 10 in (2.69 m)
  • Wing area: 303 sq ft (28.1 m2)
  • Empty weight: 1,550 lb (703 kg)
  • Gross weight: 2,995 lb (1,359 kg)
  • Fuel capacity: 40 US gal (33.3 imp gal; 151.4 L) fuselage main tank and 22 US gal (18.3 imp gal; 83.3 L) centre-section gravity tank
  • Powerplant: 1 × Wright J-5 Whirlwind 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 225 hp (168 kW)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed wooden fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 125 mph (201 km/h, 109 kn)
  • Range: 475 mi (764 km, 413 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 16,000 ft (4,900 m)
  • Rate of climb: 950 ft/min (4.8 m/s)
  • Time to altitude: 7,250 ft (2,210 m) in 10 minutes

See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ↑ "Verville Sport Trainer AT". Aviation-history.com. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  2. ↑ "The First Federal Aircraft Type Certificate" (PDF). www.faa.gov. 1927. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-02.
  3. ↑ "ATCs". Aerofiles.com. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  4. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-05-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. 1 2 3 "FAA HISTORICAL CHRONOLOGY, 1926-1996" (PDF). faa.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  6. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-01-28. Retrieved 2015-02-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ↑ Forden, Lesley. The Ford Air Tours: 1925-1931. New Brighton Minnesota: Aviation Foundation of America, 2003, First edition 1972. No ISBN.
  8. ↑ "Flight Global Magazine, April 8th, 1927, page 209". Flightglobal.com. 1926-04-08. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  9. ↑ Grey, C.G., ed. (1928). Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1928. London: Sampson Low, Marston & company, ltd. p. 203c.

Bibliography

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