Caspar C 17
Caspar · Germany · first flew 1924 · light aircraft
The Caspar C 17 was a mid-1920s German two-seat ultralight aircraft with a cantilever wing of unusually high aspect ratio, flexibly attached to the fuselage to moderate gust effects.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | All-moving tail surfaces, with a tall narrow rudder above a mid-fuselage elevator |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Cantilever low wing of unusually high aspect ratio
- Wing pivots at the root on a spring-restrained mounting
- All-moving tail surfaces, with a tall narrow rudder above a mid-fuselage elevator
The wings could pivot about a spanwise axis just behind the forward spar, restrained by a spring-loaded bolt, with an elevator-wing cross-connection to maintain trim. A 30 hp ABC Scorpion flat twin is mounted with its cylinder heads exposed, and the two cockpits are in tandem.
Specifications
- The Caspar C 17 has a length of 5.1 m (17 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 12 m (39 ft).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
The designer, Ernst Ritter von Loessel, wanted a light two-seater with just enough power to be useful for touring, sports or training while being economical. The exact date of the first flight is not known, but in November 1924 it was reported that the aircraft had been completed and flew quite well.
Variants
It had a 30 hp ABC Scorpion flat twin engine.
Where you'll see it
Little more was heard of it after the report, and it was not one of the Caspar aircraft in the 1925 Round-Germany Flight.
Related aircraft
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