The Plane

Designed expressly for the executive market, the Spartan Executive was configured for both performance and comfort. Built during the Great Depression, the 7W was the brainchild of company-founder William G. Skelly of Skelly Oil who desired a fast, comfortable aircraft to support his tastes and those of his rich oil-executive colleagues. Through a series of acquisitions, J. Paul Getty took over ownership of the Spartan Aircraft Company in 1935, and directed its fortunes from that point to 1968.

The interior of the 7W is spacious and features 18 in (46 cm) of slide-back seat room for front-seat passengers, armrests, ash trays, dome lighting, deep cushions, cabin heaters, ventilators, soundproofing, large windows, and interior access to the 100 lb (45 kg) capacity luggage compartment. The interior can be configured for four or five passengers.

In 1938, Spartan published a concept brochure for a possible future military aircraft, the model 7W-F. Using existing photographs of Spartan Executive serial number 10 that was painted in a unique paint scheme and was registered as NC17610, artists modified those photographs to show the possibilities of the concept airplane. The photo enhancements incorporated two forward-firing .30 calibre machine guns mounted on the port side near the firewall and firing through the propeller arc through a synchronized mechanism. A further enhancement showed a gunner's station at a dorsal hatch on the roof with a windscreen and machine gun fitted. Bomb racks under the wings were also shown in the enhanced photos. The program never went beyond the concept brochure.

Following up on the 7W-F concept, Spartan then built a two-seat military variant of the 7W Executive, named the Spartan 8W Zeus. The aircraft featured a greenhouse canopy covering a tandem cockpit and was powered by a more powerful 600 hp (447 kW) Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine. The 8W was designed as an advanced trainer for military use. Only one example was built and Spartan was unsuccessful in marketing the airplane. It eventually became a training aid for the Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Including the 7X prototype and the three-seat 7W-P photo reconnaissance model that evolved from the second prototype and was exported to China, 36 aircraft are generally referred to as Spartan Executives. Of the 36, only 34 are actual model 7Ws. The last 7W, serial number 34, was completed in September 1940.

In 1942, a total of 16 7W Executives were impressed into military service with the United States Army Air Corps. The 7Ws served as executive transports for military staff as the UC-71.

A post-World War II effort to rekindle interest in the Executive series, under the re-branded Spartan 12-W designation, failed to gain interest. Only one Model 12 was completed, and today is part of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium collection.

As of February 2022, a total of 20 model 7Ws still exist. Fifteen are based in the US, two are in England, one in Germany, one in France and one in Russia.

The Model

As with the others, assembly is straight forward. A couple connectors for the wings, propeller slips on, horizontal stabs fit in the tabs. Parts may require glue, as desired. Printed using 0.2mm layer height, providing functionality to the control surfaces.