The Carr Special, also called the Carr Racer, the Saginaw Junior, and the Blackhawk, was an American low-wing

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

racing aircraft developed in 1931.

Design and development

In 1932, the founder of

Paramount Aircraft Corporation Paramount Aircraft Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer based out of Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area k ...

left his failing company at the peak of the Great Depression, and attempted to pursue revenue in the potentially lucrative air race competitions. The construction of the aircraft was sponsored by the Saginaw Junior Chamber of Commerce, prompting the nose art "Saginaw Junior". The Carr Special was built to compete in the

Curtiss OX-5 The Curtiss OX-5 was an early V-8 American liquid-cooled aircraft engine built by Curtiss. It was the first American-designed aircraft engine to enter mass production, although it was considered obsolete when it did so in 1917.Smith, 1981, page ...

-powered class of the 1932 National Air Races, where many of the competitors were still biplanes. The Carr Special was built around part of the

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 aircraf ...

as well as the OX-5 engine from a

Travel Air 2000 The Travel Air 2000/3000/4000 (originally, the Model A, Model B and Model BH were open-cockpit biplane aircraft produced in the United States in the late 1920s by the Travel Air Manufacturing Company. During the period from 1924–1929, Tra ...

biplane. It was a

low wing A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

strut-braced

conventional landing gear Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Term ...

monoplane with steel tube construction with aircraft fabric covering.

Operational history

The Carr Special was entered in the 1932 National Air Races in the "Free for All", but pulled out after being lapped by all but one other entrant, and in the precision landing contest. Despite the poor showing, the aircraft would later win 22 races. The aircraft was then modified for skywriting, and later modified again with a

Warner Scarab The Warner Scarab is an American seven-cylinder radial aircraft engine, that was manufactured by the Warner Aircraft Corporation of Detroit, Michigan in 1928 through to the early 1940s. In military service the engine was designated R-420. Vari ...

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 ...

. On 19 September 1936, Kenny Barber placed second in the class at Pontiac, Michigan. The aircraft was destroyed in 1937 at

Southfield, Michigan Southfield is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 76,618. As a northern suburb of Detroit, Southfield shares part of its southern border with Detroit. The city was original ...

Specifications (Carr Special)

References

External links

{{Commons category, Carr Special
Early Aviator Walter J. Carr
Racing aircraft

Special Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer Literature * ''Specia ...

1930s United States sport aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1932