RWD-15

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RWD-15
Type	Touring plane
Manufacturer	DWL
Designed by	RWD team
Maiden flight	1937
Primary users	Polish civilian aviation Romania, Israel
Produced	1939
Number built	6

The RWD-15 was a Polish touring plane of 1937, designed by the RWD team.

1 Development
2 Usage
3 Description
4 Specifications
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Development

The RWD-15 was an enlarged developed of a 3-seater RWD-13 touring plane, designed by Stanisław Rogalski in the DWL workshops. The prototype (markings SP-BFX) first flew in spring 1937. It inherited RWD-13's advantages, like ease of flying, with good stability. In 1939, 5 serial aircraft were produced. A series of 10 liaison RWD-15 was ordered by the Air Force in 1939, but it has not been completed before the outbreak of World War II. Also a planed variant of air ambulance for two stretchers has not been built by the war.

[edit] Usage

RWD-15 were used by the Polish civilian aviation, one was used by the Presidental Chancellory. One aircraft (SP-KAT) was completed in a long-range variant, with fuel tanks in a place of rear seats. It was planned to fly it to Australia in marketing goals, but the plans were canceled after the German invasion on Czechoslovakia in March 1939.

The prototype RWD-15 was exported to Palestine in 1939 and used there by Aviron company (registration: VQ-PAE, ex. SP-BFX). From 1945 it was used as a communication plane on lines from Lod to Tel Aviv and to Egypt. In December 1947 it had to be abandoned in Lod while undergoing a repair, and was burned in April 1948 by the Arabs.

After the outbreak of the World War II, two aircraft (SP-ALA, SP-KAT) were evacuated to Romania. After a fall of Poland, they were taken over by the Romanian civil aviation (with registration YR-FAN and YR-TIT). After Romania joined the war on Axis side and took part in an attack on the USSR, RWD-15 were used as liaison planes on the eastern front by the Air Force.

According to some publications, one RWD-15 was sent to the World's Fair to the USA, along with RWD-13 and then sold there, but there is no evidence of such plane in the US register.

[edit] Description

Five-seater touring strutted high-wing monoplane of a mixed construction. A fuselage of a metal frame, covered with canvas, in engine section with aluminium sheets. Two-spar rectangular wing of wooden construction, canvas and plywood covered. Wings were folding rearwards, and were equipped with automatic slats. Closed cabin with two front places fitted with double controls, behind them a bench with three seats. The cabin had a single door on the left and a pair of doors on the right side. Two-blade metal propeller of variable pitch, 2.28 m diameter. Conventional landing gear, with a rear wheel. Fuel tanks in wings - 240 l.

[edit] Specifications

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Capacity: 4
Length: 9.0 m ()
Wingspan: 12.40 m ()
Height: 2.5 m ()
Wing area: 20 m² (ft²)
Empty weight: 875 kg ()
Loaded weight: 1360 kg ()
Useful load: 485 kg ()
Powerplant: 1× de Havilland Gipsy Six II air-cooled 6-cylinder inline engine, 205 hp ()