| C-76 Caravan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Medium transport |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Curtiss-Wright |
| Status | Canceled |
| Primary user | United States Army Air Forces |
| Number built | 25 (11 prototypes, 5 production C-76, 9 revised YC-76A) |
| History | |
| First flight | May 3, 1943 |
The Curtiss-Wright C-76 Caravan (company designation CW-27) was an American all-wood military transport aircraft. The C-76 was intended as a substitute standard aircraft in the event of expected wartime shortages of light alloys.[1] However, both prototype and production aircraft failed several critical flight and static tests, and after U.S. aluminum production proved sufficient for wartime defense requirements, orders for the C-76 were cancelled and it did not enter production.[2] Although it did not go into its main production, 25 pre-production and prototype aircraft of various types were constructed during development. The factory where it might have been produced made more C-46 Commandoes for which the C-76 would have been a substitute.
- ^ Dreher, Carl, Wood Is A War Weapon, Popular Science, Vol. 141 No.3 (September 1942), pp. 48–74
- ^ Kleber, John E., The Encyclopedia of Louisville, University Press of Kentucky (2001) ISBN 0-8131-2100-0, ISBN 978-0-8131-2100-0, pp. xxvii, 235–236