Spartan C3

Spartan Aircraft Company · United States · first flew 1926 · light aircraft

The Spartan C3 was an American three-seat open-cockpit utility biplane of the late 1920s, built by the Spartan Aircraft Company.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	Fuselage and wing struts of welded chrome-molybdenum steel tube faired with wood battens
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Open-cockpit biplane with two cockpits, the front one able to seat two
Fuselage and wing struts of welded chrome-molybdenum steel tube faired with wood battens
Equal-span wings of 32 feet with a radial engine in the nose

A single-bay biplane with two open cockpits and a radial engine in the nose. Early examples had a tail skid and later ones a tailwheel.

Specifications

The Spartan C3 has a length of 7.26 m (24 ft).
It has a wingspan of 9.75 m (32 ft).
Its maximum speed is 190 km/h (118 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The privately developed prototype first flew on 25 October 1926, powered by a radial engine modified from an 80 hp Le Rhone rotary. Production aircraft later received the Ryan-Siemens, Walter, Curtiss Challenger, Axelson, Wright Whirlwind and Comet engines in various models.

Variants

Models included the C3-120 with a Walter engine, the C3-165 with a Wright J-6-5 Whirlwind, and the C3-225 with a Wright J-6-7 and an enlarged fin and fuel tank. About 122 were built in all.

Where you'll see it

The Mexican air force bought four C3-120s in 1933. Surviving aircraft were used for flight training, including in the Civilian Pilot Training Program during the Second World War.

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