AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) operated from 1936 to 1985, designing or manufacturing aircraft and engines of Australian, American, British, Italian and French origin. Accordingly, many CA Standards are direct adaptations of Standards applied in the manufacture of aircraft in other countries. Many CA Standards list foreign Substitute materials at the end of the document.
Materials from the United States appear in North American Aircraft designs such as Harvard (CAC Wirraway), Mustang and Sabre, Pratt & Whitney engines, Bell helicopter and F/A-18 Hornet.
Materials from Italy appear via the manufacture of the Macchi jet trainer and from France via the manufacture Dassault Mirage and ATAR jet engine.
Materials from the United Kingdom appear from general application in WW2 and specific to the manufacture of Rolls Royce Merlin, Avon, Nene and Bristol Siddeley Viper engines.
Where CA Standards are revised, the later version will contain a sequential letter at the end of title, eg CA209, CA209B, CA209C
CA Standards are supported by two INDEX documents : Standards ‘by CA Number’ and ‘by Material’. A search through the Material index may reward a searcher looking for a substitute of similar composition.
The complete CA Material Standards database is provided here, courtesy of the Australian National Aviation Museum Archives Moorabbin, Australia.
The CA 0-999 series of Standards pertains to Metallic and other materials used in the manufacture of aircraft and engines since 1936.
The CA 1000 series of Standards pertains to materials used in the manufacture of Dassault Mirage jet and Snecma ATAR engine and contains many substitutions for French materials.
The CA 2000 series of Standards pertains to later Metallic materials, Non Metallic materials such as tyres and Process Specifications.
The Australian National Aviation Museum Archives Moorabbin, Australia are the custodians of the CAC Archive, which includes tens of thousands of original constructor drawings for CAC aircraft and engines. These are in the process of being digitised. Restorers seeking drawings may contact the Museum for assistance with drawings. A fee may be charged by the Museum to assist with the ongoing process of digitisation and preservation. http://www.aarg.com.au/