__NOTOC__ The CAP-4 Paulistinha was a military and civilian

trainer aircraft A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characteristi ...

built in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

during the 1930s and 1940s. It was originally developed by Empresa Aeronáutica Ypiranga (EAY) as an unlicensed copy of the

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

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ca ...

. It featured a high strut-braced wing, two enclosed tandem seats, and a steel-tube

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...

with fabric covering. Its tailwheel

undercarriage Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include: *The landing gear of an aircraft. *The ch ...

was not retractable. EAY had built five examples by the time that the firm was purchased by

Companhia Aeronáutica Paulista Companhia Aeronáutica Paulista usually known as CAP was a Brazilian aircraft manufacturer established in São Paulo. History It acquired the assets of Empresa Aeronáutica Ypiranga the same year it was founded and with them, the design that w ...

(CAP) in

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...

. CAP continued manufacturing the type under the designation CAP-4. The type was widely successful, with nearly 800 units being produced for Brazil's

flying club A flying club or aero club is a not-for-profit, member-run organization that provides its members with affordable access to aircraft. Many clubs also provide flight training, flight planning facilities, pilot supplies and associated services, as ...

s and armed forces, as well as for export to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. At the time of peak production in 1943, a new CAP-4 left the factory every day, and production continued until 1948. In 1956, Sociedade Aeronáutica Neiva (Neiva) acquired the rights renaming it to P-56 Paulistinha, the design was used as the basis for an

agricultural aircraft An agricultural aircraft is an aircraft that has been built or converted for agricultural use – usually aerial application of pesticides (crop dusting) or fertilizer (aerial topdressing); in these roles they are referred to as "crop duster ...

, the P-56 Agricola, adding a fibreglass chemical hopper and spraybars, but this was unable to compete with imported, purpose-built agricultural aircraft.

Variants

;EAY-201:original radial engined version ;CAP-4:main production version ;CAP-4B:air ambulance version (2 prototypes built) ;CAP-4C:artillery-spotting version, (''Paulistinha Rádio'' or ''Paulistinha Observação'') ;P-56 Agricola:agricultural version by Neiva (60 built) ;Paulistinha 56-C:Powered by

Continental C-90 The Continental C90 and O-200 are a family of air-cooled, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, direct-drive aircraft engines of 201 in³ (3.29 L) displacement, producing between 90 and 100 horsepower (67 and 75 kW).''Federal Aviation Admin ...

-8F/12F engine. 256 built by Neiva between 1958 and 1964.Taylor 1969, p. 10. ;P56C-1 Paulistinha Rebocador ;Paulistinha 56-D:More powerful version with

Lycoming O-320 The Lycoming O-320 is a large family of naturally aspirated, air-cooled, four-cylinder, direct-drive engines produced by Lycoming Engines. They are commonly used on light aircraft such as the Cessna 172 and Piper Cherokee. Different variants ...

-A1A. Single prototype built, which was designated L-6A by Brazilian Air Force. No production.

Operators

; *

Brazilian Navy ) , colors= Blue and white , colors_label= Colors , march= "Cisne Branco" ( en, "White Swan") (same name as training ship ''Cisne Branco'' , mascot= , equipment= 1 multipurpose aircraft carrier7 submarines6 frigates2 corvettes4 amphibious warf ...

; *

Paraguayan Military Aviation Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

4 aircraft bought in the early 1960s * Paraguayan Aeroclub 4 aircraft bought in the 1950s

Specifications (CAP-4)

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * *
Aeroclube de Joinville website

External links

{{Indústria Aeronáutica Neiva Paulistinha Single-engined tractor aircraft High-wing aircraft 1930s Brazilian military trainer aircraft 1930s Brazilian civil trainer aircraft World War II military aircraft Neiva aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1935