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The Stearman C2 was the second
In total, 33 model C2 aircraft were manufactured with the first three built in the original Stearman plant in
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...
type designed by the Stearman Aircraft
Stearman Aircraft Corporation was an Aerospace manufacturer, aircraft manufacturer in Wichita, Kansas. Although the company designed a range of other aircraft, it is most known for producing the Boeing-Stearman Model 75, Model 75, which is co ...
company. The aircraft first flew in 1927.
Design and development
Theairframe
The mechanical structure of an aircraft is known as the airframe. This structure is typically considered to include the fuselage, undercarriage, empennage and wings, and excludes the propulsion system.
Airframe design is a field of aerospa ...
of the C2 was virtually identical to the model C1. Differences included an aileron
An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement around ...
control system that actuated the single set ailerons on the upper wings via torque tubes internal to the upper wings rather than from vertical push-pull rods connected to the lower wings. All further C-series Stearmans had this system.
Various types of engines
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power g ...
were installed on C2 aircraft. Some were air cooled
Air-cooled engines rely on the circulation of air directly over heat dissipation fins or hot areas of the engine to cool them in order to keep the engine within operating temperatures. In all combustion engines, a great percentage of the heat ge ...
while others were water-cooled. Unlike the model C1 that had the radiator
Radiators are heat exchangers used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in cars, buildings, and electronics.
A radiator is always a ...
located in the nose cowl, Stearman C2 aircraft with liquid-cooled engines installed had the radiator located between the main gear legs. When the follow-on but similar model C3 became the first Stearman aircraft to receive a type certificate, some of the C2B aircraft were approved as C3B aircraft.
The most popular version of the type was the C2B which had a Wright J5 Whirlwind engine installed. The C2M ("M" for mail) was powered by a 200 hp Wright J4 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 ...
and had modifications to meet the specifications of Varney Airlines
Varney Air Lines was an airline company that started service on April 6, 1926, as an air-mail carrier. Formed by Walter Varney, the airline was based in Boise, Idaho, United States. The airline is one of the predecessors of United Airlines.
H ...
. This included having the front cockpit replaced by a covered mail pit.
Production
In total, 33 model C2 aircraft were manufactured with the first three built in the original Stearman plant in Venice, California
Venice is a neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles within the Westside region of Los Angeles County, California.
Venice was founded by Abbot Kinney in 1905 as a seaside resort town. It was an independent city until 1926, when it was annexed b ...
.
Variants produced were:
C2 and C2A
90 hp liquid-cooled Curtiss OX-5 engine
C2B
220 hp Wright J5 air-cooled radial engine. Left and right side throttle installed as standard.
C2C
C2 model with a 180 hp Wright/Martin Hispano Suiza liquid-cooled V-8 engine
C2H(1 built)
280 hp Menasco-Salmson air-cooled radial engine and counter-clockwise rotating propeller. Custom-built aircraft with experimental "speed wings"
C2K(2 built)
128 hp Siemens-Halske SH-12 air-cooled radial engine
C2M(mail)
200 hp 9-cylinder Wright J4 air-cooled radial engine. Front cockpit replaced by a covered mail pit. Reinforced windshield to prevent cargo loading damage.
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
(Partial listing, only covers most numerous types) *Alexander Eaglerock
The Alexander Eaglerock was a biplane produced in the United States in the 1920s by Alexander Aircraft Company of Colorado Springs, Colorado.Payne, Stephen, ed. ''Canadian Wings'' (Douglas & McIntyre, Ltd., 2006), p.162.
It was a fixed-gear th ...
*American Eagle A-101
The American A-1 and A-101 were American two and three-seat biplanes of the 1920s.
Design and development
The American Eagle A-1 was designed in late 1925 as a training aircraft to replace the World War I biplanes then in use by the Porterfield ...
*Brunner-Winkle Bird
The Brunner-Winkle Bird was a three-seat taxi and joy-riding aircraft produced in the US from 1928 to 1931.
Design and operation
The Model A version was powered by the ubiquitous Curtiss OX-5, and featured a welded steel-tube truss fuselage with ...
*Buhl-Verville CA-3 Airster
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, (i.e. A.T.C. No. 1) issued by the A ...
*Command-Aire 3C3
The Command-Aire 3C3 and similar 4C3 and 5C3 are American three-seat open cockpit utility, training and touring biplanes developed by Command-Aire in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Design and Development
The Command-Aire did not at first app ...
*Parks P-1
The Parks P-1 was an American three-seat sport biplane that was built in the late 1920s.
Design and development
Based in St.Louis, pilot, salesman and entrepreneur Oliver Parks founded an air school, airline and aircraft manufacturing business ...
*Pitcairn Mailwing
The Pitcairn Mailwing family was a series of American mail carrier and three-seat sport utility biplane aircraft produced from 1927 to 1931.
Design and development
The Pitcairn Mailwings were developed to carry air mail for the United States P ...
*Spartan C3
The Spartan C3 is an American three-seat open-cockpit utility biplane from the late 1920s.
Design
The C3s fuselage and wing struts were built up from welded chromium-molybdenum alloy steel tubes, faired with wood battens. It had two open c ...
*Swallow New Swallow
The Swallow Airplane Swallow is an American-built general purpose biplane of the mid- to late 1920s.
Development
The Swallow Airplane Manufacturing Co was formed in 1923 to take over the business of the E.M. Laird Aviation Co. of Wichita, Kansa ...
* Travel Air 2000 and 4000
*Waco 10
The Waco 10/GXE/Waco O series was a range of three-seat open-cockpit biplanes built by the Advance Aircraft Company, later the Waco Aircraft Company.
Design and development
The Waco 10 was a larger span development of the Waco 9, both single-engi ...
Related lists
*List of aircraft
The lists of aircraft are sorted in alphabetical order.
Further reading
The following reference sources, among many others, have been used to compile this list:
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* List of civil aircraft
References