Engineering:Rawdon T-1

The Rawdon T-1 was a United States light single-engined civil utility aircraft of the 1950s.

Rawdon T-1
Rawdon T-1 at North Perry airport, Florida, in March 1987
Role	utility and crop-spraying
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Rawdon Brothers Aircraft Inc
Designer	Herb Rawdon
First flight	1947
Introduction	1951
Primary user	crop spraying contractors
Number built	36
Developed from	Rawdon R-1

Development

Herb Rawdon had been chief engineer of Travel Air, and later Beech Aircraft in Wichita, Kansas . He left Beech and with his brother Gene, established the Rawdon Brothers Aircraft firm.

In 1938 they designed a low-wing two-seat trainer, the Rawdon R-1. A single example was constructed, but was not ordered, as hoped, by the Civil Pilot Training Programme. Postwar, the firm developed and built a similar, but higher-powered model, the T-1.

Operational history

Rawdon built 35 Model T-1s in five variants. The major commercial use of the aircraft was as a trainer and in crop spraying, but it also found other utility uses such as aerial banner towing for advertising purposes. Four examples of the T-1M military version were delivered to the Colombian Air Force . Many aircraft were re-fitted with more powerful engines including the Lycoming O-320 series of 150 h.p.

On display

A 1949 Rawdon T-1 is owned by the Kansas Aviation Museum collection.

Variants

T-1

Initial trainer version powered by a Lycoming O-290-C2 engine of 125 h.p. (13 built);

T-1CS

Crop-spraying version of the T-1 with belly tank and spray equipment buried in the wing structure (2 built);

T-1M

Military version delivered to the Colombian Air Force (4 built);

T-1S

Crop spraying model similar to the T-1CS (9 built);

T-1SD

single-seat crop sprayer with chemical hopper in place of the rear seat, squared-off wingtips with endplates and modified vertical tail. (7 built).

Specifications (T-1SD)

Data from Green, 1965, p. 290

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Capacity: 1 passenger/trainee
• Length: 24 ft 2 in (7.37 m)
• Wingspan: 33 ft 4 in (10.16 m)
• Height: 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)
• Wing area: 166 sq ft (15.4 m²)
• Empty weight: 1,300 lb (590 kg)
• Gross weight: 1,900 lb (862 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-320 four-cylinder air-cooled , 150 hp (110 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 138 mph (222 km/h, 120 kn)
• Cruise speed: 120 mph (190 km/h, 100 kn)
• Range: 500 mi (800 km, 430 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 18,000 ft (5,500 m)
• Rate of climb: 900 ft/min (4.6 m/s)

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Green, William (1965). The Aircraft of the World. Macdonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd. 
• Simpson, Rod (2005). The General Aviation Handbook. Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-222-5.