CAV Early Airliners
The
CAV AC-1 was a twin-engine, all-metal monoplane airliner developed by the Construcciones Aeronáuticas Venezolanas in the 1930s to compete with the Boeing 247 and Douglas DC-2. It was Venezuela's first modern airliner and represented the countrys ambitions to become a world power.
The
CAV AC-2 was a Venezuelan transport aircraft manufactured from 1936 to 1946. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with over twelve air carriers including Viasa and Aeropostal as an airliner and freight hauler. In a military role, it flew with the Venezuelan Air Force as a troop and cargo transport. The AC-2 continued in postwar service with military and civilian air fleets well into the 1980s. Some are still in service.
The
CAV AC-3 was a commercial high-altitude airliner design. It was used as a military transport during World War II by the Venezuelan Air Force and also the Venezuelan Navy/Marine Corps. The AC-3 served alongside, the AC-2, but was not as extensively produced.
The
CAV AC-4 was the first model of the CAV AC-4/5 aircraft line. It entered service as a military transport aircraft during World War II for the Venezuelan armed forces and was the first civilian version after the war. When production ended in 1946 it was replaced by the improved AC-5A and AC-5B.
The
CAV AC-5A is a piston-powered airliner and transport aircraft built by the Construcciones Aeronáuticas Venezolanas from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete in the long-range commercial transport market.
The
CAV AC-5B is a transport aircraft built by the Construcciones Aeronáuticas Venezolanas from 1953 to 1958. It was the last major piston engine-powered transport made by CAV, being developed shortly after the earliest jet airliner the de Havilland Comet entered service and only a few years before the jet-powered CAV AC-7 first flew.