Curtiss -Wright CW-14 Osprey

what is it?

The Curtiss-Wright CW-14, named variously Travel Air, Sportsman, Speedwing and Osprey is an American 3-seat open cockpit single-bay biplane from the 1930s that was developed by Travel Air as a replacement for the highly successful Travel Air 4000. As a result of the Great Depression, which also limited sales, Travel Air merged into the Curtiss-Wright group of companies before production could start, so all examples were built by Curtiss-Wright. Its main claim to fame would be as the most numerous aircraft used in the Chaco war, where it formed the backbone of the Bolivian Air Force.

base stats

• speed 285 km/htop speed
• size 1,391 kgmax take-off weight
• built 38made 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 95 years ago, in 1931.
• 🏎️Top speed is 2.2× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).

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

spec sheet

first flight

1931

introduced

1931

status

retired

number built

38

role

utility/training biplane

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Curtiss-Wright, Travel Air

engines

1× Wright R-975-E Whirlwind

length

7.1 m

height

2.8 m

max take-off weight

1,391 kg

top speed

285 km/h

cruise speed

241 km/h

range

—

ceiling

5,700 m

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