Commonwealth Skyranger
| Commonwealth 185 | |
|---|---|
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| |
| Commonwealth 185 | |
| Role | Utility aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Rearwin, Commonwealth |
| Designer | Gene Salvay and George A. Stark |
| First flight | 9 April 1940 |
The Commonwealth Skyranger, earlier produced as the Rearwin Skyranger, was the last design of Rearwin Aircraft. It was popular due to its easy and stable flight characteristics.
Design and development
The Skyranger was originally produced in 1940 and was furnished with a variety of opposed engines made by Continental Motors and the Franklin Engine Company. Seating two people side-by-side, it featured a fabric-covered steel tube fuselage and wooden wing and it sold for about $3000. It had a conventional landing gear with a tailwheel.
Commonwealth Aircraft
In 1942 the Rearwin Airplane Company was purchased by Commonwealth Aircraft of Kansas City, Missouri. In 1946 Commonwealth re-established the construction of the Skyranger at their Valley Stream plant for just one year. It had many minor modifications but was essentially the same aircraft. As the anticipated post-war boom in civil aviation had not then started, Commonwealth went bankrupt in 1947. 275 Skyrangers were built by Commonwealth.
Serial numbers in the 1500s were built by Rearwin. Serial numbers in the 1600s are Commonwealth 185 Skyrangers.
Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Capacity: 2
Performance
References
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (October 2009) |
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 757.
- Simpson, R. W. (1995). Airlife's General Aviation. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing. p. 412.
External links
