RWD-8

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The RWD-8 was a Polish trainer aircraft used from 1934 to 1939 by the Polish Air Force and Polish civilian aviation, constructed by the RWD team.

RWD-8

1 Development
2 Usage
3 Description
4 Specifications (RWD-8 DWL)
- 4.1 General characteristics
- 4.2 Performance
5 Military Operators
6 Related content

[edit] Development

The aircraft was designed in response to a Polish Air Force requirement of 1931 for a basic trainer aircraft. It was constructed by the RWD team of Stanislaw Rogalski, Stanislaw Wigura and Jerzy Drzewiecki. The first prototype (registration SP-AKL), was flown in early 1933. It won the contest for the Polish military trainer, against the PZL-5bis and Bartel BM-4h biplanes. It was considered a very stable and well-handling aircraft.

Since the DWL (Doswiadczalne Warsztaty Lotnicze) workshops - a manufacturer of RWD designs - had limited production capability, the Polish military decided to produce the plane in a nationalized factory PWS (Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów). DWL gave away the licence free of charge, only for covering design costs. PWS produced aircraft for both military and civilian aviation, while DWL produced aircraft for civilian use only. The first PWS-built RWD-8 was flown in September 1934. These aircraft, designated RWD-8 PWS (or RWD-8 pws), differed from the original RWD-8 DWL (or RWD-8 dwl) in minor details, mainly having thinner landing gear shock absorbers and being slightly heavier and therefore slower.

Apart from standard variant, 50 aircraft RWD-8a PWS were built with an additional 95 l (25 US gal) fuel tank in thicker central wing section, giving increased range. A small series was built with a rear cab covered with blinds, for blind flying training. A frame with a hook for glider towing could be attached to the plane. A further development of the RWD-8 was the aerobatic-trainer plane RWD-17.

In total, over 550 RWD-8s were built (about 80 by the DWL and about 470 by the PWS). Production ceased in early 1939. The RWD-8 was the most numerous aircraft manufactured in Poland up to that time.

[edit] Usage

RWD-8s were used in the Polish military trainer aviation from 1934, becoming a standard type of primary trainer. In November 1938, there were 349 RWD-8s in the Air Force. RWD-8s were also used in Polish civilian aviation - particularly in regional aeroclubs. More than 80 aircraft were bought for public collection funds, in order to train aviators. They were also used in the Polish aviation sport.

Small number were exported: three were sold to Palestine, one to Spain, Morocco and Brazil. Licences for building the RWD-8 was sold to Estonia (one aircraft was produced, with markings ES-RWD) and Rogozarski of Yugoslavia (a small series with radial engines was built). At least one RWD-8 was sold to Spain via Portugal during the Spanish Civil War. It was used as a recce plane and a trainer for the Nationalist forces.

In the Invasion of Poland 1939, the RWD-8s were used in 13 liaison flights, three aircraft in each, assigned to Armies. Many other aircraft were mobilized during the campaign and used in improvised liaison units. An advantage of the RWD-8 was its capability for short take off and landing on unprepared fields, but the missions of their crews were dangerous. RWD-8s of the Polesie Operational Group were the last Polish aircraft in the sky during the campaign. They were flying reconnaissance missions during the battle of Kock, and even threw hand grenades.

A great number of RWD-8s were bombed by the Germans in air bases or burned by withdrawing Poles. 57 aircraft were withdrawn to Romania, about 40 to Latvia and 2 to Hungary. Only some dozen planes were captured by the Germans in airworthy condition. In Romania and Hungary they were used until late 1940s. None returned to Poland after the war, and none have survived to today.

[edit] Description

Mixed construction (steel and wood) trainer plane, conventional in layout, with braced high-wings, canvas and plywood covered, with open cockpit. Crew of two, sitting in tandem, with twin controls. 4 cylinder air-cooled inline engine PZInż. Junior (licence built Walter Junior) with 82 kW (110 hp) nominal power and 90 kW (120 hp) take-off power (120 hp Walter Major or de Havilland Gipsy Major were used on some planes). Two-blade wooden propeller. Conventional landing gear, with a rear skid. Fuel tank in fuselage: 75 l (18 US gal) (RWD-8 PWS) or 85 l (21 US gal) (RWD-8 DWL). Wings folded rearwards.