CASA C-201 "Alcotán"
There were few airplane models developed in Spain until the end of World War II. In 1946, the Aviation Ministry no longer required aircraft builders to construct tried and tested models in the future, however, the builders were urged to develop the Ministry's own models instead. The Construction Bureau of Construcciones Aeronáuticas S.A. strived towards success with the following four aircraft projects: Three dual-engined aircrafts with weights of 5.5, 7.5 and 12.5 tons as well as radial or piston engines with a performance of 450, 750 and 1,300 PS, and a four-engined aircraft with a weight between 26-32 tons, a freight capacity of 5 tons, engines with performances between 1,300-1,600 PS and a range of up to 5,000 kilometers. In the following period, three dual-engined aircraft models were developed, the C-201 "Alcotán", the C-202 "Halcón", and finally, the C-207 "Azor".
The dual-engined C-201 "Alcotán", a light transport aircraft, was the first project to be undertaken at the CASA-factory in Madrid. A contract was signed between the Aviation Ministry and CASA in June 1946 concerning the development of two prototypes. The aircraft should be able to withstand a freight capacity of one ton and possess an operational range of 1,000 kilometers.
The first prototype, equipped with a 475 PS Armstrong Siddley "Cheetah" XXVII-engine, took off on February 11, 1949, the second followed in 1950. In the following period, Spain ordered twelve pre-series models as well as 100 series aircrafts. Production took place in Getafe while rudders and sections of the empennage were scheduled to be constructed in Cádiz.
The first aircraft of the pre-series took off in 1953. Of these aircrafts, four were utilized as passenger carriers with ten seats, a third were designed as bombers and trainers for photo reconnaissance, and the remaining were used for education concerning instrumental and blind flight. One of the machines was equipped with the 550 PS powerful Pratt & Whitney engine R-1340 Wasp H, three possessed domestic engines from ENMASA, the Sirio S-VII-A with 500 PS, and the remaining were equipped with the Cheetah XXVII-engines. The decisive factor was based on which engine would be utilized for the entire series.
Delivery of the first ten aircrafts was delayed because neither the engines nor the propellers could be constructed in a timely manner. It was expected that the fuselages of 100 aircrafts of the main series would have been completed by 1955, however no engine was at their disposal. The reasons for this being the Spanish government's shortage of foreign exchange as well as international isolation of the country. The fact was that the domestic industry was not in any position to independently manufacture sufficiently powerful engines in large quantities.
The Aviation Ministry had managed to indirectly acquire four Alvis Leonides 503-engines with performance of 503 PS each along with propellers. Continued delivery followed for a brief period of time. Until 1956, a total of eleven Alcotán aircrafts were delivered. In 1962, the Aviation Ministry finally closed the deal and cancelled the procurement contract for the C-201 without CASA incurring financial losses. The 96 completed aircraft structures were dismantled and reused whenever possible.
With the creation of the C-201, the Spanish aviation industry had developed its first propeller- operated passenger airplane. Due to this achievement, the Spanish aviation industry could participate in other projects on equal footing with the rest of the international community.
Technical data
Performance
| Top speed | 350 km/h |
Dimensions
| Span | 18,4 m |
| Length | 13.94 m |
| Height | 3.95 m |
| Wing span area | 41.8 qm |
Weight
| Weight | 5,500 kg |
Stock Quotes
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