Buhl-Verville CA-3 Airster

Last updated
CA-3 Airster
J4 buhlverville.JPG
RoleUtility aircraft
Manufacturer Buhl
Designer Alfred Verville, Etienne Dormoy
First flight 1926
Number built20 [1]

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 US, [2] [3] [4] (i.e. A.T.C. No. 1) issued by the Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce on March 29, 1927. [5] 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 . One CA-3 placed second in the 1926 Ford National Reliability Air Tour. [6]

Contents

1926 Ford Air Tour, piloted by Louis Meister, and another (designated the CA-3A) placed third in the 1927 Air Derby, piloted by Nick Mamer. One CW-3 and one CA-3 each were evaluated by the United States Army as trainers, but neither were purchased.

Versions

CA

The CW-3 OX5 Airster (1925) with folding wings Buhl-cw3.jpg
The CW-3 OX5 Airster (1925) with folding wings

CW

Specifications (CA-3A)

Data from Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1928 [8]

General characteristics

Performance

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

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References

Citations

  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. "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)
  6. Forden, Lesley. The Ford Air Tours: 1925-1931. New Brighton Minnesota: Aviation Foundation of America, 2003, First edition 1972. No ISBN.
  7. "Flight Global Magazine, April 8th, 1927, page 209". Flightglobal.com. 1926-04-08. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  8. Grey, C.G., ed. (1928). Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1928. London: Sampson Low, Marston & company, ltd. p. 203c.

Bibliography