The Curtiss-Wright CW-12 Sport Trainer and CW-16 Light Sport (also marketed under the Travel Air brand that Curtiss-Wright had recently acquired) were high-performance training aircraft designed by Herbert Rawdon and Ted Wells and built in the United States in the early 1930s.
The CW-12 and CW-16 shared the same basic design as conventional single-bay biplanes with staggered wings braced with N-struts. The pilot and instructor sat in tandem, open cockpits, the forward cockpit of the CW-12 having a single seat, while the CW-16's forward cockpit could seat two passengers side-by-side. Both versions of the aircraft were available in a variety of engine choices, and some CW-16s were exported as trainers to the air forces of Bolivia and Ecuador.
CW-12
CW-12K - version powered by Kinner K-5 engine (2 built)
CW-12Q - version powered by Wright-built de Havilland Gipsy (26 built)
CW-12W - version powered by Warner Scarab (12 built + 1 replica)
CW-16
CW-16E - version powered by Wright J-6 Whirlwind 5 engine (10 built)
CW-16K - version powered by Kinner B-5 engine (11 built)
CW-16W - version powered by Warner Scarab engine (1 built)
Civil owners in USA and United Kingdom
Argentina
Argentine Navy purchased 15 CW-16Es in 1935, with 13 more possibly being built from 1938. The type remained in use until 1949.
Bolivia
Bolivian Air Force purchased three CW-16s in 1934, with the type in use until 1943.
Brazil
Brazilian Air Force received 15 CW-16Ws, with 125 hp (93 kW) Warner Scarab engines in 1935, the type remaining in service until 1940.
Colombia
Colombian Air Force received six CW-16s in 1933.
Ecuador
Ecuadorian Air Force purchased six CW-16Es in 1935, with three more CW-16s following in 1936. Three remained in use until 1944.
Data from Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947
General characteristics
Crew: Two, pilot and instructor
Length: 21 ft 5 in (6.52 m)
Wingspan: 28 ft 10 in (8.78 m)
Height: 8 ft 10 in (2.69 m)
Wing area: 206 ft2 (19.1 m2)
Empty weight: 1,017 lb (486 kg)
Gross weight: 1,725 lb (782 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Curtiss-Wright licence-built de Havilland Gipsy, 90 hp (67 kW) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 105 mph (169 km/h)
Cruise speed: 88 mph (142 km/h)
Range: 390 miles (628 km)
Service ceiling: 12,000 ft (3,660 m)
Rate of climb: 600 ft/min (3.0 m/s)
