Custer Channel Wing Corporation
Encyclopedia
The Custer Channel Wing Corporation was an American
aircraft manufacturer that specialized in the design of aircraft utilizing the Channel wing
. The company was active between 1951 and the 1970s.
, which gave STOL
operating capabilities, resulted in a design "which is not an airplane. It does not plane the air to fly, rather it brings the air to the lift surfaces and reduces pressure to fly at 8 to 11 mph".
The first aircraft to incorporate Custer's concept was the CCW-1 which was fitted with a single seat and powered by two 75 hp pusher engines. The sole example first flew on 12 November 1942.
Custer's next aircraft was the CCW-2 which was an evolution of the CCW-1 as a single-seat test bed using the adapted fuselage of a Taylorcraft BC-12
light aircraft, replacing the original single engine with two pusher engines fitted each side of the fuselage and placed within wing channels. The sole example first flew on 3 July 1948 and made many test flights totaling about 100 hours.
were the first manufacturers to be licensed for the production of both military and private aircraft using the Channel Wing principles.
specifications for a liaison aircraft
. It was to carry a pilot and three fully equipped combat troops or 10 litter patients. Performance envisaged was 1,000 lb load, cruising at 150 knots or better over a five-hour cruise range. In the event, Taylorcraft did not put the plans into action. A design had been prepared by early 1952 for a single-engined channel wing aircraft with the engine fitted in a single channel immediately behind the crew cabin.. This aircraft was not built. Design numbers CCW-3 and CCW-4 were not used.
Custer obtained some financial backing from various investors and proceeded with design of a larger five-person, twin-engined Custer CCW-5. The first example was built for Custer by the Baumann Corporation of Santa Barbara, California
. It utilized an adapted fuselage and tail assembly of a Baumann Brigadier light twin-engined aircraft. Power was from two 225 hp engines and the CCW-5s first flight was made on 13 July 1953. The CCW-5 accommodated five persons and was claimed to be capable of flying at a sustained speed of 35 mph.
Custer persisted with his design and built a second CCW-5 at the CCWC factory, again using the fuselage and tail of a Baumann Brigadier. This aircraft first flew on 19 June 1964. Although several firms expressed interest in production of the design, all failed to provide sufficient funds. The CCW-5 continued to make development flights during the 1960s and 1970s, but no production orders were obtained. The company ceased active production of aircraft.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
aircraft manufacturer that specialized in the design of aircraft utilizing the Channel wing
Channel wing
The channel wing is an aircraft wing principle developed by Willard Ray Custer in the 1920s. The most important part of the wing consists of a half-tube with an engine placed in the middle, driving a propeller placed at the rear end of the channel formed by the half-tube.- Development :In 1925,...
. The company was active between 1951 and the 1970s.
Early history
Willard Ray Custer filed a United States patent in 1929 for a wing design incorporating a semi-circular channel or "half barrel" shape in which an engine was to be fitted in pusher mode. Custer claimed that this layout, the Custer Channel WingCuster Channel Wing
-External links:**...
, which gave STOL
STOL
STOL is an acronym for short take-off and landing, a term used to describe aircraft with very short runway requirements.-Definitions:There is no one accepted definition of STOL and many different definitions have been used by different authorities and nations at various times and for a myriad of...
operating capabilities, resulted in a design "which is not an airplane. It does not plane the air to fly, rather it brings the air to the lift surfaces and reduces pressure to fly at 8 to 11 mph".
The first aircraft to incorporate Custer's concept was the CCW-1 which was fitted with a single seat and powered by two 75 hp pusher engines. The sole example first flew on 12 November 1942.
Custer's next aircraft was the CCW-2 which was an evolution of the CCW-1 as a single-seat test bed using the adapted fuselage of a Taylorcraft BC-12
Taylorcraft B
-See also:...
light aircraft, replacing the original single engine with two pusher engines fitted each side of the fuselage and placed within wing channels. The sole example first flew on 3 July 1948 and made many test flights totaling about 100 hours.
Formation of the corporation
Custer continued to develop his ideas for the Channel Wing and in 1951 he formed the Custer Channel Wing Corporation with a registered address at 1905 West Washington Street, Hagerstown, Maryland. It was reported that Taylorcraft Inc of Conway, PennsylvaniaConway, Pennsylvania
Conway is a borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, on the Ohio River. At the 2000 census, the borough had a total population of 2,290.- Geography :Conway is located at 40°39'48" North, 80°14'10" West ....
were the first manufacturers to be licensed for the production of both military and private aircraft using the Channel Wing principles.
Design development
The first type to be produced on an experimental basis was to be a military aircraft to comply with United States Air ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
specifications for a liaison aircraft
Liaison aircraft
A liaison aircraft is a small, usually unarmed aircraft primarily used by military forces for artillery observation or transporting commanders and messages. The concept developed before World War II and included also battlefield reconnaissance, air ambulance, column control, light cargo delivery...
. It was to carry a pilot and three fully equipped combat troops or 10 litter patients. Performance envisaged was 1,000 lb load, cruising at 150 knots or better over a five-hour cruise range. In the event, Taylorcraft did not put the plans into action. A design had been prepared by early 1952 for a single-engined channel wing aircraft with the engine fitted in a single channel immediately behind the crew cabin.. This aircraft was not built. Design numbers CCW-3 and CCW-4 were not used.
Custer obtained some financial backing from various investors and proceeded with design of a larger five-person, twin-engined Custer CCW-5. The first example was built for Custer by the Baumann Corporation of Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
. It utilized an adapted fuselage and tail assembly of a Baumann Brigadier light twin-engined aircraft. Power was from two 225 hp engines and the CCW-5s first flight was made on 13 July 1953. The CCW-5 accommodated five persons and was claimed to be capable of flying at a sustained speed of 35 mph.
Custer persisted with his design and built a second CCW-5 at the CCWC factory, again using the fuselage and tail of a Baumann Brigadier. This aircraft first flew on 19 June 1964. Although several firms expressed interest in production of the design, all failed to provide sufficient funds. The CCW-5 continued to make development flights during the 1960s and 1970s, but no production orders were obtained. The company ceased active production of aircraft.
Preserved Custer aircraft
- CCW-1 NX30090 National Air and Space MuseumNational Air and Space MuseumThe National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and...
store at Silver Hill, Maryland; - CCW-5 N5855V displayed at the Mid-Atlantic Air MuseumMid-Atlantic Air MuseumThe Mid-Atlantic Air Museum is membership supported museum and aircraft restoration facility located at the Carl A. Spaatz Field, the regional airport serving Reading, Pennsylvania. The museum, founded by Russ Strine, the current President, collects and actively restores historic war planes and...
at Reading Airport, Pennsylvania