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Howard unknown 1940 cabin trainer project
The Howard Aircraft Corporation of Chicago does not seem to be covered anywhere on this forum, and it's a great injustice considering the beautiful racers and utility transport types they produced. That's probably because they are all either very well-known and documented or not considered as rare or "secret". The company's DGA-18 though, was a much less known low-wing radial-engined tandem-seat primary trainer that remained a prototype. It was briefly marketed for both the civilian and military markets as the DGA-125 (after its engine power) and more powerful DGA-160. The outbreak of the war killed all prospects for the civilian version; the success of the Fairchild M-62 Cornell and Ryan ST military trainers doomed the DGA-125 to oblivion.
I have just become aware of there being what seems like a development of the DGA-18, an enclosed cabin derivative with comparable dimensions but slighly increased wing area and retractable gear. Could it have been a competitor of the Fairchild PT-23? Or the Ryan PT-25? Whatever the purpose, it remained a paper project only.
The plan below was found on eBay and is entitled "Scale Comparison of Howard DGA-125 and RP(?) Primary and Secondary C.P.T.P. Trainers". It is dated October 30, 1940. I do not know what the complete designation of the "RP" was as the zoomed photo doesn't show it in full (it could be RPT). I believe "Secondary trainer" is just an alternate wording for "Advanced trainer". According to Wikipedia, the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) was "a flight training program (1938–1944) sponsored by the United States government with the stated purpose of increasing the number of civilian pilots, though having a clear impact on military preparedness."
Anyone ever heard of that advanced trainer proposal by Howard before?
The Howard Aircraft Corporation of Chicago does not seem to be covered anywhere on this forum, and it's a great injustice considering the beautiful racers and utility transport types they produced. That's probably because they are all either very well-known and documented or not considered as rare or "secret". The company's DGA-18 though, was a much less known low-wing radial-engined tandem-seat primary trainer that remained a prototype. It was briefly marketed for both the civilian and military markets as the DGA-125 (after its engine power) and more powerful DGA-160. The outbreak of the war killed all prospects for the civilian version; the success of the Fairchild M-62 Cornell and Ryan ST military trainers doomed the DGA-125 to oblivion.
I have just become aware of there being what seems like a development of the DGA-18, an enclosed cabin derivative with comparable dimensions but slighly increased wing area and retractable gear. Could it have been a competitor of the Fairchild PT-23? Or the Ryan PT-25? Whatever the purpose, it remained a paper project only.
The plan below was found on eBay and is entitled "Scale Comparison of Howard DGA-125 and RP(?) Primary and Secondary C.P.T.P. Trainers". It is dated October 30, 1940. I do not know what the complete designation of the "RP" was as the zoomed photo doesn't show it in full (it could be RPT). I believe "Secondary trainer" is just an alternate wording for "Advanced trainer". According to Wikipedia, the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) was "a flight training program (1938–1944) sponsored by the United States government with the stated purpose of increasing the number of civilian pilots, though having a clear impact on military preparedness."
Anyone ever heard of that advanced trainer proposal by Howard before?
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