Puneet Varma (Editor)

Cessna CR 3

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Manufacturer
  
Cessna

Designer
  
Clyde Cessna

Cessna CR-3 wwwfiddlersgreennetaircraftCessnaCR3IMAGESC

The Cessna CR-3 was a follow on racing aircraft to the Cessna CR-2 that raced in the 1932 National Air Races.

Contents

Development

The CR-3 was ordered by Air racer Johnny Livingston in response to the performance he saw when competing against the Cessna CR-2 in the 1932 National Air Races. The CR-2 was modified with a mid-wing design.

Design

The CR-3 was a mid-wing radial engined taildragger racer with manual retractable landing gear and a tail skid. The propeller was from a clipped wing Monocoupe racer #14. The tail surface was designed to be neutral, without downforce in flight. The elevators experienced significant vibration in test flights without the wing root fairings installed.

Operational history

The CR-3 lasted 61 days, winning every event it competed in.

  • Omaha Air Races, June 17, 1933 placed first.
  • Competed in the Minneapolis Air Races, June 24, 1933 - First place
  • Competed in the Chicago American Air Race, July 1, 1933, the CR-2 first raced against CR-3 at these races. The CR-3 won the Baby Ruth Trophy at a speed of 201.42 mph. It also set a world speed record for aircraft with engines of under 500 cubic inches capacity at 237.4 mph
  • The Cessna CR-3 won the Aero Digest Trophy race on July 4, 1933.

    • En route to an airshow in August 1933, the CR-3 experienced a failure of both the tail skid and a landing gear weld that would not allow the gear to lock. Livingston bailed out over Columbus, Ohio and the CR-3 was destroyed.

    Specifications

    Data from Sport Aviation

    General characteristics

  • Length: 17 ft (5.2 m)
  • Wingspan: 18 ft 5 in (5.61 m)
  • Height: 4 ft 6 in (1.37 m)
  • Empty weight: 750 lb (340 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Warner Super Scarab Radial, 145 hp (108 kW)

    • Performance

  • Maximum speed: 222 kn; 410 km/h (255 mph) demonstrated
  • Stall speed: 56 kn; 105 km/h (65 mph)

    • References

    Cessna CR-3 Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA