RWD 2
1929 Polish sports plane
title: "RWD 2" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1920s-polish-sport-aircraft", "rwd-aircraft", "single-engined-tractor-aircraft", "high-wing-aircraft", "aircraft-first-flown-in-1929", "single-engined-piston-aircraft", "aircraft-with-fixed-conventional-landing-gear"] description: "1929 Polish sports plane" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RWD_2" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary 1929 Polish sports plane ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox aircraft"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | RWD 2 |
| image | RWD 2.jpg |
| caption | RWD-2 during the Challenge 1930 |
| type | Sports plane |
| national_origin | Poland |
| manufacturer | Warsaw University of Technology workshops |
| designer | RWD team |
| first_flight | July 1929 |
| introduction | 1929 |
| retired | 1935 |
| primary_user | Polish civilian aviation |
| produced | 1929-1930 |
| number_built | 4 |
| :: |
|name =RWD 2 |image =RWD 2.jpg |caption =RWD-2 during the Challenge 1930 |type =Sports plane |national_origin = Poland |manufacturer =Warsaw University of Technology workshops |designer = RWD team |first_flight =July 1929 |introduction =1929 |retired =1935 |status = |primary_user =Polish civilian aviation |more_users = |produced =1929-1930 |number_built =4 |unit cost = |variants = The RWD 2 was a 1929 Polish single-engine high-wing monoplane sports plane constructed by the RWD team.
Development
The RWD 2 was constructed by the RWD team of Stanisław Rogalski, Stanisław Wigura and Jerzy Drzewiecki in the Aviation Section of Mechanic Students' Club of Warsaw University of Technology. It was a development of their first design RWD-1. Its feature was a unique, fish-shaped fuselage, with good aerodynamics, but without a direct view forward from the pilot's seat. For this reason, they were later nicknamed: blind mice.
The first prototype (registration SP-ACE) was completed and flown by the designer Jerzy Drzewiecki in July 1929. Since it appeared successful in sports flying, three more RWD-2s were built in 1930 (registration SP-ADJ, -ADG, -ADH).
Use
In August–September 1929, Franciszek Żwirko and Stanisław Wigura flew the prototype across Europe, on the 5000 km Warsaw-Paris-Barcelona-Warsaw route (it was the first long foreign journey of the Polish-designed aircraft). On 16 October 1929, Żwirko and Antoni Kocjan set an international FAI altitude record of 4,004 m (13,133 ft) in the light tourist plane class (below 280 kg / 616 lb empty weight).
Three serial aircraft took part in the Challenge 1930 international touring planes competition in July 1930. Stanisław Płonczyński took the 19th place, as the best Pole (for 35 qualified and 60 starting crews), and Edward Więckowski took the 21st place (the third Józef Muślewski was disqualified due to time exceeding, but he completed the rally off the contest). In the Challenge, RWD-2s won the trial of lowest fuel consumption (5.2 kg / 100 km). According to Flight, they "appear to possess particularly good air-sailing qualities".
RWD 2s were also used in several Polish air competitions and other minor international ones, with some success. They were also used for training in the Polish Aero Club in Warsaw, Poznań and Vilnius. They were withdrawn in 1935 (one was bought by a private owner and flew for some time longer).
Description
Wooden construction high-wing cantilever monoplane, conventional in layout. Fuselage rectangular in cross-section, plywood covered. Single-spar one-part wing of a trapezoid shape, covered with canvas and plywood in front. Cantilever empennage, covered with plywood (stabilizers) and canvas (rudder and elevators). Crew of two, sitting in tandem, with dual controls. The crew cabs were open on the sides in upper part, they had individual doors on the right side. Salmson 9Ad, 46 hp (40 hp nominal power), 9-cylinder air-cooled radial engine in front, driving a two-bladed metal propeller (wooden in the prototype). Conventional fixed landing gear, sprung by rubber rope, with a rear skid. Fuel tank 75 L in fuselage front (fuel consumption - 9.5 L/ flight hour).
Specifications (RWD 2)
|ref=Polish aircraft, 1893-1939 |prime units?=met General characteristics
|crew=1 |capacity=1 |length m=6.15 |length note= |span m=9.8 |span note= |height m=1.9 |height note= |wing area sqm=13.6 |wing area note= |aspect ratio= |airfoil= |empty weight kg=260 |empty weight note= |gross weight kg=500 |gross weight note= |max takeoff weight kg=500 |max takeoff weight note= |fuel capacity=75 L |more general= Powerplant
|eng1 number= |eng1 name=Salmson 9Ad |eng1 type=9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine |eng1 hp=40 |eng1 note=(nominal)
|prop blade number=2 |prop name=fixed-pitch propeller |prop dia m= |prop dia note= Performance
|max speed kmh=155 |max speed note=at sea level |max speed mach= |cruise speed kmh=130 |cruise speed note=
- Landing speed: 65 km/h |stall speed kmh= |stall speed note= |never exceed speed kmh= |never exceed speed note= |minimum control speed kmh= |minimum control speed note= |range km=550 |range note= |combat range km= |combat range note= |ferry range km= |ferry range note= |endurance= |ceiling m=4000 |ceiling note= |g limits= |roll rate= |climb rate ms=3 |climb rate note= |time to altitude= |wing loading kg/m2=36.8 |wing loading note= |fuel consumption kg/km= |power/mass=0.036 hp/lb |more performance=
- Take-off run: 120 m
- Take-off run to 8.5 m: 260.5 m
- Landing run from 8.5 m: 219 m
|avionics=
References
References
- [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1930/untitled0%20-%200938.html Flight, August 8, 1930, p.890]
- (1971). "Polish aircraft, 1893-1939". Putnam.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::