RWD 15

{{Short description|Polish touring aircraft of 1937}} {{Infobox aircraft |name =RWD-15 |image =RWD-15 1.png |caption = |type =Touring aircraft |manufacturer =DWL |designer = RWD team |first_flight = 1937 |introduction = |retired = |status = |primary_user = Poland |more_users = Romania<br/>British Mandate of Palestine |produced = 1939 |number_built = 5+1 prototype |developed_from = RWD-13 |variants = }}

The '''RWD-15''' was a Polish touring aircraft of 1937, designed by the RWD team and built by the Doświadczalne Warsztaty Lotnicze (DWL).

==Design and development== The '''RWD-15''' was an enlarged development of the RWD-13 three-seat touring aircraft, designed by Stanisław Rogalski of the RWD team, in the DWL workshops in Warsaw. The prototype first flew in spring 1937 (registration SP-BFX). It inherited RWD-13's advantages, like ease of flying, with good stability. In 1939, five aircraft were produced by the outbreak of World War II. A series of 10 RWD-15 was ordered by the Polish Air Force as liaison aircraft in 1939, but they were not completed before the war. Only one of five ordered air ambulances RWD-15S, with two stretchers, were built.<ref name=morg>{{cite book |last1=Morgała|first1=Andrzej|date= 2003|title=Samoloty wojskowe w Polsce 1924–1939|trans-title= Military aircraft in Poland 1924–1939|language= pl|location=Warsaw |publisher= Bellona|isbn=83-11-09319-9|pages=314–315}}</ref> There was proposed an aerial photography variant, but it was not built.<ref name=Glass/>

==Description== Five-seater touring strutted high-wing monoplane of mixed construction. Fuselage frame was metal, covered with canvas, the engine section covered with aluminium sheets. A two-spar rectangular wing was of wooden construction, covered with canvas and plywood leading edges, supported by V-struts. Wings were rearwards folding, and were equipped with automatic slats. Cantilever wooden tail unit, covered with plywood (stabilizers) and canvas (rudder and elevators). The cabin was enclosed, with two front seats fitted with dual controls, and behind them a bench with three seats.<ref name=Glass/><ref name=sp>''RWD-15''. "Skrzydlata Polska" June–July 1938, issue 6-7/1938 (164-165), p.204-206 (in Polish)</ref> The cabin had a single door on the left and a pair of doors on the right side, with two luggage compartments at the rear. Engine at the front - 205 hp de Havilland Gipsy Six II, with a two-blade metal tractor propeller (DH Hamilton 1000) of variable pitch, 2.28 m diameter. Conventional fixed landing gear, with a tail-wheel.

==Operational history== All RWD-15 were initially used in Poland. Two aircraft were formally subordinated to the Polish Air Force (the 1st Aviation Regiment in Warsaw) - one bought by the Presidential Chancellory and belonging to the Staff Escadrille, and the other in air ambulance variants RWD-15S.<ref name=morg/> One aircraft (registration SP-KAT) was completed as a long-range variant, with fuel tanks in place of rear seats, owned by the LOPP paramilitary organization.<ref name=Glass/> It was planned to fly it to Australia in marketing goals, with Maj. Stanisław Karpiński, but the plans were suspended after the German invasion of Czechoslovakia in March 1939.<ref name=Glass/> In some publications it is designated RWD-15bis.<ref name=morg/> Last RWD-15 was made in August 1939, with civil registration SP-ALA.<ref name=morg/>

In 1939, the prototype RWD-15 (registration SP-BFX) was sold to Palestine, and used there by the Aviron Aviation Company (registration: VQ-PAE). From 1945, it was used as a passenger aircraft on routes from Lod to Tel Aviv and to Egypt. In December 1947, it had to be abandoned in Lod while undergoing repairs, and was burned on 6 April 1948 by Arabs.<ref name="Stefanicki">{{cite web |last1=Stefanicki|first1=Maciej |title=Samoloty RWD w Brazylii, Izraelu i USA |url=http://www.samoloty.ow.pl/str356.htm |accessdate=20 April 2018 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070709054823/http://www.samoloty.ow.pl/str356.htm |archivedate=9 July 2007|language=Polish}}</ref>

After the outbreak of World War II, in September 1939 two civilian RWD-14 (SP-ALA, SP-KAT) were evacuated to Romania. After the fall of Poland, they were sold by the manufacturer for a fraction of value to Romanian government, and used by Romanian civil aviation (registration YR-FAN and YR-TIT respectively).<ref name=morg/> After Romania joined the war on Axis side and took part in attack on the USSR, RWD-15s were used as liaison aircraft on the eastern front by the Romanian Air Force.<ref name=morg/>

One RWD-15 was reportedly sent to the 1939 New York World's Fair,<ref name=morg/> along with a RWD-13, and then sold there, but there is no evidence of such aircraft in the US register.<ref name="Stefanicki"/>

==Operators== ;{{flag|British Mandate for Palestine}} *Aviron ;{{ISR}} *Sherut Avir ;{{POL}} ;{{flag|Romania|1867}} *Royal Romanian Air Force

==Specifications == {{Aircraft specs |ref=Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1937,<ref name=JAWA1937>{{cite book |title=Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1937 |editor1-last=Grey |editor1-first=C.G. |year=1937 |publisher=Sampson Low, Marston & company, ltd |location=London |editor2-last=Bridgman|editor2-first=Leonard |page=249c}}</ref> Polish Aircraft 1893–1939,<ref name=Cynk>{{cite book |last=Cynk |first=Jerzy B. |title=Polish Aircraft 1893–1939 |year=1971 |publisher=Putnam |location=London |isbn=978-0-370-00085-5 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/polishaircraft1800cynk/page/552 552-555] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/polishaircraft1800cynk/page/552 }}</ref> Polskie konstrukcje lotnicze 1893-1939<ref name="Glass">{{cite book|last1=Glass|first1=Andrzej|title=Polskie konstrukcje lotnicze 1893-1939|date=1977|publisher=WKiŁ|location=Warsaw 1977|pages=320–322|language=Polish}}</ref> |prime units?=met  |crew=1 |capacity=4<ref name=Glass/> |length m=9 |span m=12.4 |height m=2.5 |wing area sqm=20 |aspect ratio= |airfoil= |empty weight kg=875 |gross weight kg=1360 |max takeoff weight kg= |fuel capacity={{cvt|240|L|USgal impgal}} |more general=  |eng1 number=1 |eng1 name=de Havilland Gipsy Six II |eng1 type=6-cyl inverted air-cooled in-line piston engine |eng1 hp=205

|prop blade number=2 |prop name=de Havilland 1000 (Hamilton) constant-speed metal propeller |prop dia m=2.28  |max speed kmh=240 |max speed note=at sea level |cruise speed kmh=210 |cruise speed note=at {{cvt|1000|m}}<br> :::::{{cvt|220|km/h|mph kn}} at {{cvt|3000|m}} *'''Landing speed:''' {{cvt|75|km/h|mph kn}} |stall speed kmh= |never exceed speed kmh= |range km=1000 |range note=with two passengers<br> :::::{{cvt|465|km|mi nmi}} with four passengers |ferry range km= |endurance= |ceiling m=5000 |ceiling note=service ceiling |g limits= |roll rate= |climb rate ms=4.8 |time to altitude={{cvt|1000|m}} in 5 minutes |wing loading kg/m2=68 |fuel consumption kg/km= |power/mass={{cvt|0.0685|hp/lb|kW/kg|order=flip}} |more performance=* '''Take-off distance to {{cvt|8|m}}:''' {{cvt|200|m}} }}

==See also== {{aircontent| |related= *RWD-6 - RWD-9 – RWD-13 - RWD-20 |similar aircraft= *Stinson Reliant *Heston Phoenix |lists= |see also= }}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category}} *[http://www.airwar.ru/enc/law1/rwd15.html Photos and drawing] at [http://www.airwar.ru Ugolok Neba] site (in Russian)

RWD-15 RWD-15 Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft Category:High-wing aircraft Category:Aircraft first flown in 1937