Buhl CA-1 Airster

The Buhl CA-1 Airster was a sports airplane developed in the United States in 1930. It was a conventional low-wing cantilever monoplane with fixed tailwheel undercarriage and an open cockpit for the pilot.

History
In 1930 the Buhl Aircraft Company built two light multipurpose Airster aircraft, which were free-floating low-flying airplanes. They differed in power plant and cockpit, with the single-seat CA-1 using a 300 hp Wright J-6 engine, and the two-seat CA-1WA using a 420 hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine. The two-seat variant was developed with a second open cockpit in tandem with the pilot's and with a Townend ring and wheel spats, but this didn't sell either.

The first aircraft was intended for high-speed mail delivery, the second for sporting events and air-racing. Neither of them could find their customers, and they were not put into mass production. The CA-1WA was slightly more fortunate - a single aircraft was bought by a private individual and used until the mid thirties.