Pilot's Post - Race planes of the 1930s'- the RWD 9

15.01.2023

A development of the RWD 6, the winner of the third Challenge de Tourism International Challenge 1932 international tourist aircraft contest the RWD 9 was a Polish sports plane of 1934 designed by Stanislaw Rogalski and Jerzy Drzewiecki and constructed by the RWD team.

The RWD 9 was a four-seat strutted high-wing monoplane of mixed construction with a fixed wing undercarriage and tailskid. It had a metal frame fuselage covered with canvas, a two-spar rectangular wing of wooden construction, canvas and plywood covered. As specified in the rules the wings folded rearwards. The pilot at passengers were accommodated in a closed cockpit fitted with dual controls.

Eight were built specially for the purpose of competing in the fourth Challenge de Tourisme International to be held in Warsaw during August-September 1934. Two were sold to were sold to the Czech team, one crashed and one flew in the competition. Four, RW 9Ws' were powered by Czech Walter Bora radial engine of 220 hp and four RW 9Ss' powered by the Polish radial engine 290 hp GR-760 created by Stanislaw Nowkunski. The Polish powered aircraft was of superior performance with a top speed of 281 km/h compared to the Czech powered ones that only reached 260km/h.

The International Touring Competitions (Challenge International de Tourisme) was a FAI international touring aircraft contest, that took place between August and September in various European countries. The Challenges were major aviation events in pre-war Europe. The regulations were based upon the FAI rules, but details were worked out by the German Aero Club. The 1934 races were hosted by Germany and held in Berlin.

In the competition the Polish RWD 9S of Jerzy Bajan took the first place and the one flown by Stanislaw Plonczynski finished in second place. RWDs 9 took also the 7th and 15th places. The German Fieseler Fi 97s was placed 3, 9, 12, 13 and 16. The Czechoslovakian Aero Vodochody A.200 OK-AMA finished in fourth place and the Czechoslovak Aero A200 took the 8th place.

The best results in the technical section achieved by a RWD was a take-off of76.1 m (to altitude 8 m), and a landing of 76.9 m (from altitude 8 m).

After the Challenge, RWD 9 were used by the sporting aviation. In 1935 two of them (SP-DRA, -DRB) were sold to Spain. The Spanish aircraft were used as liaison aircraft on the Republican side during the Spanish Civil War.

History
Classic Aircraft

Race planes of the 1930s'- the RWD 9

By Willie Bodenstein