Aeronca C-3

Last updated
C-3
Aeronca 100 Sywell 2008 1 crop.jpg
Aeronca 100 at Sywell Airshow 2008
General information
TypeUltra-light monoplane
National originUnited States
Manufacturer Aeronca
Number built400
History
Developed from Aeronca C-2

The Aeronca C-3 was a light plane built by the Aeronautical Corporation of America in the United States during the 1930s.

Contents

Design and development

Its design was derived from the Aeronca C-2. Introduced in 1931, it featured room for a passenger seated next to the pilot. Powered by a new 36 hp (27 kW) Aeronca E-113 engine, the seating configuration made flight training much easier and many Aeronca owners often took to the skies with only five hours of instruction, largely because of the C-3's predictable flying characteristics. Both the C-2 and C-3 are often described as “powered gliders” because of their gliding ability and gentle landing speeds.

C-3 Master NC14630 at Museu Asas de Um Sonho, now TAM Museum, Brazil Aeronca C-3 RSC.jpg
C-3 Master NC14630 at Museu Asas de Um Sonho, now TAM Museum, Brazil
1931 Aeronca C-3 N11422 at Airventure 2013, Oshkosh, WI 1931 Aeronca C-3.JPG
1931 Aeronca C-3 N11422 at Airventure 2013, Oshkosh, WI

The C-3's distinctive razorback design was drastically altered in 1935 with the appearance of the “roundback” C-3 Master. Retaining the tubular fuselage frame construction, the C-3 Master featured a smaller vertical stabilizer and rudder with a “filled out” fuselage shape that created the new “roundback” appearance and improved the airflow over the tail. It featured an enclosed cabin with a proper door (brakes and wing light still cost extra), and a revised undercarriage dispensing with external struts in favour of a neater arrangement largely hidden in the fuselage. [1] The 1935 C-3 Master was priced at only $1,895 [2] —just a few hundred dollars more than the primitive C-2 of 1930. [3] The low price generated significant sales; 128 C-3 Masters were built in 1935 alone (of 430 C-3s built in all), [4] and the 500th Aeronca aircraft also rolled off the assembly line that same year.

A strengthened version of the C-3 with fabric-covered ailerons (instead of metal), designated the Aeronca 100, was built in England under license by Light Aircraft Ltd. (operating as Aeronautical Corporation of Great Britain Ltd. sometimes called Aeronco), and marketed by its associated company Aircraft Exchange & Mart. It was powered by a modified Aeronca E-113C engine built by J. A. Prestwich and Company and called the JAP J-99, [5] and this led to the aircraft being marketed as the Aeronca-JAP. [6] The expected sales never materialized – only 24 British-built aircraft were manufactured before production was halted. [7]

The aircraft could be fitted with floats, and those so equipped were sometimes designated PC-3, with the P standing for Pontoon. [8]

Production of the C-3 was halted in 1937 when the aircraft no longer met new U.S. government standards for airworthiness. Many of the C-3's peculiarities – a strictly external wire-braced wing with no wing struts directly connecting the wing panels with the fuselage, extensive fabric construction, single-ignition engine, and lack of an airspeed indicator – were no longer permitted. Fortunately for the legion of Aeronca owners, a “grandfather” clause in the federal regulations allowed their airplanes to continue flying, although they could no longer be manufactured.

Variants

C-3
Production variant, early versions of which were built as the C-2 Collegian. [1]
C-3 Master
Improved variant.
Aeronca 100
British-built variant powered by an Aeronca JAP J-99 (a licence built Aeronca E-113C), 21 built. [9]
Aeronca 300
Improved British variant of the Aeronca 100, one built.
Ely 700
British variant with wider fuselage and two doors, two built. [10]

Surviving aircraft

Specifications (C-3)

Data from [9]

General characteristics

Performance

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curtiss JN Jenny</span> American biplane trainer aircraft (1915–1927)

The Curtiss JN "Jenny" is a series of biplanes built by the Glenn Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. Although the Curtiss JN series was originally produced as a training aircraft for the US Army, the "Jenny" continued after World War I as a civilian aircraft, becoming the "backbone of American postwar [civil] aviation".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vultee BT-13 Valiant</span> Family of military training aircraft

The Vultee BT-13 Valiant is an American World War II-era basic trainer aircraft built by Vultee Aircraft for the United States Army Air Corps, and later US Army Air Forces. A subsequent variant of the BT-13 in USAAC/USAAF service was known as the BT-15 Valiant, while an identical version for the US Navy was known as the SNV and was used to train naval aviators for the US Navy and its sister services, the US Marine Corps and US Coast Guard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing-Stearman Model 75</span> American biplane military training aircraft in use 1934 through WWII

The Stearman (Boeing) Model 75 is an American biplane formerly used as a military trainer aircraft, of which at least 10,626 were built in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s. Stearman Aircraft became a subsidiary of Boeing in 1934. Widely known as the Stearman, Boeing Stearman, or Kaydet, it served as a primary trainer for the United States Army Air Forces, the United States Navy, and with the Royal Canadian Air Force as the Kaydet throughout World War II. After the conflict was over, thousands of surplus aircraft were sold on the civilian market. In the immediate postwar years, they became popular as crop dusters and sports planes, and for aerobatic and wing walking use in air shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing</span> American single engine cabin biplane

The Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing is an American biplane with an atypical negative wing stagger. It first flew in 1932.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curtiss Robin</span>

The Curtiss Robin, introduced in 1928, is an American high-wing monoplane built by the Curtiss-Robertson Airplane Manufacturing Company. The J-1 version was flown by Wrongway Corrigan who crossed the Atlantic after being refused permission to do so.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grumman OV-1 Mohawk</span> Battlefield reconnaissance and forward air control aircraft

The Grumman OV-1 Mohawk is an American armed military observation and attack aircraft that was designed for battlefield surveillance and light strike capabilities. It has a twin turboprop configuration, and carries two crew members in side-by-side seating. The Mohawk was intended to operate from short, unimproved runways in support of United States Army maneuver forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bell 47</span> 1945 utility helicopter family by Bell

The Bell 47 is a single-rotor single-engine light helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It was based on the third Bell 30 prototype, which was the company's first helicopter designed by Arthur M. Young. The 47 became the first helicopter certified for civilian use on 8 March 1946. The first civilian delivery was made on 31 December 1946 to Helicopter Air Transport. More than 5,600 Bell 47s were produced, including those under license by Agusta in Italy, Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Japan, and Westland Aircraft in the United Kingdom. The Bell 47J Ranger is a modified version with a fully enclosed cabin and tail boom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lone Star Flight Museum</span> Aviation museum in Houston, Texas

The Lone Star Flight Museum, located in Houston, Texas, is an aerospace museum that displays more than 24 historically significant aircraft, and many artifacts related to the history of flight. Located at Ellington Airport, the museum is housed on about 100,000 ft2 of property, including its own airport ramp. The museum, formerly located in Galveston, moved to Houston to avoid a repeat of the devastation suffered during Hurricane Ike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grumman J2F Duck</span> American single-engine amphibious biplane

The Grumman J2F Duck is an American single-engine amphibious biplane. It was used by each major branch of the U.S. armed forces from the mid-1930s until just after World War II, primarily for utility and air-sea rescue duties. It was also used by the Argentine Navy, who took delivery of their first example in 1937. After the war, J2F Ducks saw service with independent civilian operators, as well as the armed forces of Colombia and Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan PT-22 Recruit</span> US military trainer aircraft

The Ryan PT-22 Recruit, the main military version of the Ryan ST, is a military trainer aircraft that was used by the United States Army Air Corps during WWII for primary pilot training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taylor Cub</span> American light aircraft

The Taylor Cub was originally designed by C. Gilbert Taylor as a small, light and simple utility aircraft, evolved from the Taylor Chummy. It is the forefather of the popular Piper J-3 Cub, and total production of the Cub series was 23,512 aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aeronca L-3</span> WWII liaison aircraft

The Aeronca L-3 group of observation and liaison aircraft were used by the United States Army Air Corps in World War II. The L-3 series were adapted from Aeronca's pre-war Tandem Trainer and Chief models.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hispano Aviación HA-1112</span> Spanish fighter aircraft

The Hispano Aviación HA-1109 and HA-1112 are licence-built versions of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2 developed in Spain during and after World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aeronca C-2</span> American light aircraft

The Aeronca C-2 is an American light monoplane designed by Jean A. Roche and built by Aeronca Aircraft.

The Dakota Territory Air Museum is an aviation museum on North Hill in Minot, North Dakota near Minot International Airport. The mission of the Dakota Territory Air Museum is to be a historical aviation resource honoring the men, women and machines that have impacted the rich history of aviation through displays and events that educate, inspire and entertain people of all ages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meyers OTW</span> Type of aircraft

The Meyers OTW was a 1930s United States training biplane designed by Allen Meyers and built by his Meyers Aircraft Company from 1936 to 1944.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Standard J</span> Biplane trainer aircraft produced 1916-1918

The Standard J is a two-seat basic trainer two-bay biplane produced in the United States from 1916 to 1918, powered by a four-cylinder inline Hall-Scott A-7a engine. It was constructed from wood with wire bracing and fabric covering. The J-1 was built as a stopgap to supplement the Curtiss JN-4 in production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaska Aviation Museum</span> Aviation museum

The Alaska Aviation Museum, previously the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum, is located on Lake Hood Seaplane Base in Anchorage, Alaska. Its mission since 1988, is to preserve, display, and honor Alaska's aviation heritage, by preserving and displaying historic aircraft, artifacts, and memorabilia, and to foster public interest in aviation and its history. The museum has over thirty aircraft on display, a restoration hangar, flight simulators, two theaters, and a Hall of Fame. It provides an emphasis on historic aircraft, aviation artifacts, and memorabilia that contributed to the development and progress of aviation in Alaska, including Bush flying, and the World War II Army base on Adak Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vintage Flying Museum</span> Aviation museum in Fort Worth, Texas

The Vintage Flying Museum is a non-profit aviation museum located at Meacham International Airport, Fort Worth, Texas. The primary mission of the museum is to preserve America's flying heritage in word, deed and action. Also located at the museum is Greatest Generation Aircraft, the Invader Squadron of the Commemorative Air Force, the Fort Worth Chapter of the American Rosie the Riveter Association and PGM Aviation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piper Aviation Museum</span> Aviation museum in Pennsylvania, U.S.

The Piper Aviation Museum is an aviation museum at the William T. Piper Memorial Airport in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. It is focused on the history of the Piper Aircraft Corporation.

References

  1. 1 2 Ord-Hume, Arthur W. J. G. (January 1998). "The Aeronca Experience". Aeroplane Monthly. 26 (297): 56–61.
  2. Payne, Stephen, ed. Canadian Wings (Douglas & McIntyre, Ltd., 2006), p.163.
  3. Payne, p.163.
  4. Of those, only 20 were exported to Canada. Payne, p.163.
  5. Ord-Hume 2000, pp. 223–4.
  6. "Aeronca JAP". Aviation Ancestry Database of British Aviation Advertisements 1909-1990. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  7. Donald M. Pattillo. A History in the Making: 80 Turbulent Years in the American General Aviation Industry. p. 18.
  8. 1 2 "1933 Aeronca PC3 "Bathtub"". Eagles Mere Air Museum. Eagles Mere Air Museum. Archived from the original on 24 March 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  9. 1 2 Jackson 1973, p. 12.
  10. Ord-Hume 2000, p. 449.
  11. "Aircraft N11293 Data". Airport-Data.com. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  12. "FAA Registry [N11293]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  13. "FAA Registry [N11422]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  14. "Aeronca C-3". Wings of History Air Museum. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  15. "Airframe Dossier - Aeronca C-3 A164 N11494". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  16. "FAA Registry [N11494]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  17. "FAA Registry [N12407]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  18. Davisson, Budd (February 2004). "1931 Second-hand Airplane" (PDF). Vintage Airplane. 32 (2). EAA Vintage Aircraft Association. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  19. "Airframe Dossier - Aeronca C-3 A-189 N12423". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  20. "FAA Registry [N12423]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  21. "CCAR - Aircraft History Details". Canadian Civil Aircraft Register. Government of Canada. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  22. "FAA Registry [N12496]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  23. Perdue, Scott (6 February 2016). "The Leeward Air Ranch". Plane & Pilot. Flying Media. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  24. "Airframe Dossier - Aeronca C-3 A-215 N13000". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  25. "FAA Registry [N13000]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  26. "FAA Registry [N13021]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  27. Barnes, Sparky (May 2022). "From the Junkyard to the Sky". Vintage Airplane. 50 (3). EAA Vintage Aircraft Association: 46–53. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  28. "Airframe Dossier - Aeronca C-3, c/n A-246, c/r N13082". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  29. "FAA Registry [N13082]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  30. "Aeronca C-3 Collegian". San Diego Air & Space Museum. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  31. "Airframe Dossier - Aeronca C-3, c/n A258, c/r N13094". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  32. "FAA Registry [N13554 ]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  33. "Airframe Dossier - Aeronca C-3 A-291 N13557". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  34. Johnston, Erik. "Aeronca C-3 Walkaround". YouTube. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  35. "FAA Registry [N14096 ]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  36. "NC14630". Jetphotos. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  37. "Aircraft G-CDUW Data". Airport-Data.com. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  38. "Aircraft details for: G-ADYS". G-INFO. UK Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  39. Illsley, John. "Aeronca C3 Restoration". Pilot's Post. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  40. "Airframe Dossier - Aeronca C-3 A-603 ZU-FRL". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  41. "Aircraft". Flying For Fun - Trecanair. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  42. "Aircraft details for: G-AEFT". G-INFO. UK CAA. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  43. "Flying For Fun - An Affair With An Aeroplane - 1987 BBC TV". Youtube. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  44. Wilson, Alan (28 February 2016). "Aeronca C3 'N12587' (really N15287)". Flickr. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  45. "FAA Registry [N15287]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  46. "Aeronca PC-3". Yanks Air Museum. 2017-05-11. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  47. "Aircraft details for: G-AESB". G-INFO. UK Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  48. "1936 Aeronca C-3 Master - N16291". EAA. EAA. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  49. "Airframe Dossier - Aeronca C-3 A-668 N16291". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  50. "FAA Registry [N16291]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  51. "1936 Aeronca C3B "Master"". Port Townsend Aero Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  52. "FAA Registry [N16529]". Federal Aviation Administration. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  53. "Aircraft N16553 Data". Airport-Data.com. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  54. "Aeronca C 3 Engine Test and Taxi Jungle Drums Old Kingsbury Aerodrome, Kingsbury, Texas". YouTube. 8 June 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  55. "1936 AERONCA C3 "MASTER"". Golden Age Air Museum. Golden Age Air Museum. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  56. "Airframe Dossier - Aeronca C-3 A717 N17404". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  57. "FAA Registry [N17404]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  58. "Frasca Air Museum's Aeronca C-3 "Speed Kit"". Antique Airfield. Antique Aircraft Association and Airpower Museum. 26 May 2014. Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  59. "Airframe Dossier Aeronca C-3 A-730 N17419". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  60. "FAA Registry [N17419]". U.S. Department of Transportation. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  61. "Aeronca C-3 Collegian, G-ADRR / A-734, Private". ABPic Air Britain Photo Library. Air Britain. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  62. "Aeronca C-3". Cole Palen's Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  63. "FAA Registry [N17447]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  64. "Aircraft Registry Query Results [ZK-AMW]". Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  65. "Aircraft ZK-AMW Data". Airport-Data.com. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  66. "Aeronca 100 ZK-AMW". KEY.AERO. Key Publishing. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  67. "Aeronca 100, G-AETG / AB.110, Private". ABPic Air Britain Photo Library. Air Britain. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  68. "Breighton Airfield, Yorkshire, June 2023". Rod's Aviation Photos. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  69. "Airframe Dossier - Aeronca C-3 AB114 G-AEVS". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  70. "CIVILIAN AIRCRAFT". Virginia Aviation Museum. Virginia Aviation Museum. Archived from the original on 17 April 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  71. "Airframe Dossier - Aeronca C-3, c/n 526, c/r N14640". Aerial Visuals. AerialVisuals.ca. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  72. Sullivan, Paul (15 November 2016). "Antique planes and other items coming home to Shannon Airport". Fredericksburg.com. BH Media Group, Inc. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  73. "Aeronca C-3". Golden Wings Flying Museum. Golden Wings Flying Museum. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  74. "FAA Registry [N15295]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  75. Trainor, Todd (June 2011). "[Letter to Members]". Aeronca Aircraft Museum. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2023.

Bibliography