CAC Winjeel

History

The Australian aviation industry has produced some notable aircraft for their role in aviation history. One of the contestants became the "Winjeel" in 1955, modeled on some 64 aircraft and built under the Commonwealth Aircraft Company (CAC) brand. CAC was established in 1936, just before World War II (1939-1945), and managed several wartime designs during that time, including the boomerang monoplane that served in the Great Conflict (detailed elsewhere on this site). introduce). CAC existed as a unit until 1985, when it operated under the name Hawker de Havilland.

Boeing Australia purchased its evolution, Hawker de Havilland Victoria, in 2000, meaning the CAC name has gone down in history.

The Winjeel was developed for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as a basic trainer for a crew of two to three. The design met requirement AC77 of the Royal Australian Air Force, which in 1948 was looking to incorporate this aircraft type into its post-war inventory.

CAC engineers responded with two prototypes, designated the CA-22, which flew for the first time on February 23, 1955. The design flew well, quite well in fact, and was too stable to be used as a training device, so engineers were forced to "destabilize" the aircraft to some extent, allowing students to experience the twist and turn recovery phase.

After some modifications, the aircraft reappeared as the CA-25, and it went into series production with 62 deliveries - the first arriving at the First Basic Flight Training School in New South Wales in September 1955.

In use, Winjeel is a solid training platform. The last delivery was in August 1957 and the model lasted a long time during which the last model was scrapped in 1975 (as a training role). In a brief effort, the line was almost completely replaced by the upcoming Macchi MB-326 series of Italian origin, which would take Winjeels out of service by the late 1960s.

Only a dozen or so remained as light utility forward air control (FAC) platforms until the mid-1990s, when the light Swiss Pilatus PC-9 line was completely replaced. In 1995, all Winjeels were retired, and since then some have become privately owned.

The final Winjeel design form was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R985-AN-2 "Wasp Junior" 9-cylinder radial piston engine producing 445 hp. Performance specs include a top speed of 185 mph, a cruising speed of 165 mph, a service ceiling of up to 18,000 feet and a rate of climb of 1,500 feet per minute.

Some Winjeels are unarmed by default, but are equipped to carry smoke grenades to mark ground targets.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes