Curtiss -Wright CW-21

what is it?

The Curtiss-Wright Model 21 (also known as the Curtiss-Wright Model 21 Demonstrator, the Curtiss-Wright CW-21 Interceptor, the Curtiss-Wright CW-21 Demon) was an American fighter-interceptor developed by the St. Louis Airplane Division of Curtiss-Wright Corporation during the 1930s.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · low wing · retractable tailwheel (taildragger) · 10.7 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 505 km/htop speed
• size 2,041 kgmax take-off weight
• built 62made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 88 years ago, in 1938.
• 🏎️Top speed is 3.9× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 10.7 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.2× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1938-09-22

introduced

1939

number built

62

role

fighter

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Curtiss-Wright

engines

1× Wright R-1820-G5 Cyclone

crew

1

length

8.3 m

wingspan

10.7 m

height

2.5 m

max take-off weight

2,041 kg

top speed

505 km/h

cruise speed

454 km/h

range

—

ceiling

10,455 m

wings

low wing

landing gear

retractable conventional landing gear

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.