In 1948, the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation responded to a RAAF requirement for a new elementary trainer to replace its dated DH Tiger Moths and CAC Wirraways with the CA-22 Winjeel (Aboriginal word for a young eagle). Powered by a 450 hp (336k W) Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior, the first of two prototypes made its initial test flight on February 3, 1951. Similar in many ways to the UK's Percival Provost, the Winjeel was so stable that it was actually unsuitable for training purposes. Four years later, a re-designed model, the CA-25, finally took to the air for the first time on February 23, 1955.
展开▼
