Rearwin Airplanes was a series of US airplane-manufacturing businesses founded by Andrew ("Rae") Rearwin in 1928. Rae Rearwin was an American businessman who had developed several successful business ventures in the

Salina, Kansas Salina is a city in, and the county seat of, Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,889. In the early 1800s, the Kanza tribal land reached eastward from the middle of the Kansas Territory. In 1 ...

area in the early 20th century. Although he had no experience with

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines. ...

manufacturing (and no pilot training), he felt that he could succeed with his solid business acumen. With his two sons, Ken and Royce, he hired some engineers and built the Ken-Royce in a garage in Salina. The business moved to the Fairfax Airport in

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...

, and went through several variations before it was sold to

Commonwealth Aircraft Commonwealth Aircraft Company was an aircraft manufacturer from Valley Stream, New York. Originally Rearwin Aircraft & Engines of Kansas City, the company was renamed in 1942 after it was purchased by a new owner. During World War II, Commonwea ...

in 1942, which went bankrupt in 1946.

History

Rae Rearwin had toured Wichita aircraft manufacturers in the summer of 1927 with his teenage sons Royce and Ken and became convinced he could improve on what he saw. He investigated buying an existing firm, but none were interested in selling, so he tried to hire Herb Rawdon away from the

Travel Air Corporation The Travel Air Manufacturing Company was an aircraft manufacturer established in Wichita, Kansas, United States in January 1925 by Clyde Cessna, Walter Beech, and Lloyd Stearman. History The company initially built a series of sporting an ...

. Rawdon wasn't interested but suggested an engineer who might be. The company started construction in an old garage in

, the Rearwin's hometown. The company's first prototype, the

Rearwin Ken-Royce The Rearwin Ken-Royce was an American three-seat sport/touring biplane built by Rearwin Airplanes first in Salina, Kansas then Kansas City. It was the first airplane built by the company. Design and development Rae Rearwin had toured Wichita ...

was finished in January 1929. Rearwin moved the operation to the Fairfax Airport in

in early 1929. While the Ken-Royce prototype engaged in publicity tours and races, Rae Rearwin sought an investor to fund operations. A Kansas City oilman provided funds and Rae formed a

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...

with him, naming the company Rearwin Airplanes. Rearwin Airplanes would produce both the Ken-Royce and the Rearwin Junior, although the Great Depression ultimately caused orders for both to dry up. In 1933, Rae started a new

sole proprietorship A sole proprietorship, also known as a sole tradership, individual entrepreneurship or proprietorship, is a type of enterprise owned and run by one person and in which there is no legal distinction between the owner and the business entity. A sole ...

using the idle Rearwin Airplanes factory and equipment, which was named Rearwin Aircraft. Rearwin Aircraft focused on producing the high performance Rearwin Speedster and the lower-cost

Rearwin Sportster The Rearwin Sportster is a 1930s American two-seat, high-winged, cabin monoplane designed and built by Rearwin Aircraft & Engines for sport/touring use. Development The Sportster began development while Rearwin was still certifying the previou ...

. The company became Rearwin Aircraft & Engines upon acquiring LeBlond Aircraft Engine Corporation, a maker of small radial engines which Rearwin used in several of their products. The division was renamed Ken-Royce Engines Company. Rearwin Aircraft & Engines introduced their Cloudster in 1939, which was further developed into a specialized instrument trainer for airlines. To stay current, Rearwin's last product, the Skyranger adopted the new horizontally-opposed engine instead of the small radial engines the company produced and was experienced with. The company was sold to investor Frank Cohen's Empire Ordnance company in 1942 and became

, which would acquire Columbia Aircraft Corporation and move to their former plant in Valley Stream, New York. While Ken and Royce had always been involved in the Rearwin company, they were not interested in taking over the business. Rearwin Aircraft & Engines' investments and specialty in small radial engines left them poorly positioned for the coming age of horizontally-opposed engines that would dominate after World War II. Before selling the company, the Rearwins had negotiated contracts to make

Waco CG-3A The Waco CG-3A was a US light troop military glider of World War II. Design and development The CG-3A was the United States Army Air Force's first production troop-carrying glider. 300 CG-3A 9-place gliders were initially ordered, but 200 of ...

and CG-4A. This required physical expansions, and 2000 employees would eventually be hired. Other war contracts included dies and punches for Remington Arms and glider tow releases. By the end of World War II, 1,470 of the CG-4A gliders had been built, making Rearwin/Commonwealth the third-largest manufacturer of the type. Commonwealth Aircraft resumed production of the Skyranger in 1945 at the Fairfax plant, before moving production to New York. The company went bankrupt in 1946 and was dissolved by March 1947.

Products

Rearwin Aircraft

Ken-Royce Engine Company

Rearwin's aircraft mainly used small radial engines, so in 1937 when the R. K. LeBlond Machine Tool Company offered to sell their engine division, which specialized in small radial engines, Rearwin bought the assets. The sale was made at a steeply discounted price, to give the LeBlond company a tax write-off, and gave Rearwin an in-house source of small radial engines for their aircraft.

References

{{Rearwin aircraft Manufacturing companies established in 1928 Companies based in Kansas Defunct aircraft manufacturers of the United States 1928 establishments in Kansas