The Rhein Flugzeugbau RW 3 Multoplan is a two-seat light

pusher configuration In aeronautical and naval engineering, pusher configuration is the term used to describe a drivetrain of air- or watercraft with propulsion device(s) after the engine(s). This is in contrast to the more conventional tractor configuration, wh ...

aircraft that was produced in small numbers by Rhein Flugzeugbau GmbH between 1958 and 1961.

Design

The

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...

RW 3 Multoplan was designed by Hanno Fischer who founded Rhein-West-Flug Fischer in 1955 in order to test the

aerodynamic Aerodynamics () is the study of the motion of atmosphere of Earth, air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dynamics and its subfield of gas dynamics, and is an ...

principles that he propounded. These were first tested in the Fibo 2a light aircraft. This was followed by the first RW 3A Multoplan ''D-EJAS'' which was a

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which two or more animals, machines, or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. ''Tandem'' can also be used more generally to refer to any group of persons or objects w ...

two-seat light aircraft of mixed construction with a high aspect ratio wing, retractable

tricycle undercarriage Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', that is arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has one or more nose wheels in a single front undercarriage and two or more main wheels slightly aft of th ...

and a T-tail. The 65 h.p.

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in luxury, high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Th ...

678/0 engine was buried in the centre fuselage and drove a pusher propeller mounted in a vertical slot between the fin and rudder. The two occupants were provided with dual controls and were accommodated beneath a long blister canopy. A second RW 3A-V2 was built and tested.

Development and production

Fischer granted a production licence to Rhein Flugzeugbau GmbH (RFB) who built an initial batch of Multoplans at their factory at

Krefeld Krefeld ( , ; ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, its c ...

Uerdingen Uerdingen () is a district of the city of Krefeld, Germany, with a population of 17,888 (2019). Originally a separate city in its own right, Uerdingen merged with the city of Krefeld in 1929. Today, Uerdingen is best known for a local distillery ...

. The first production aircraft was flown on 8 February 1958 and this and all subsequent machines were designated RW 3.P75 to identify the Porsche 75 h.p. 678/4 engine which was fitted. RFB built a total of 22 Multoplans and abandoned a further three when production was discontinued in 1961. One further example was built by an amateur constructor. RFB also built two examples of a higher-powered version, the RW 3C-90 Passat and on these and all other RW 3s, they offered optional wingtip extension panels which enabled the Multoplan to be flown as a power-assisted

sailplane A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the leisure activity and sport of gliding (also called soaring). This unpowered aircraft can use naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to gain altitude. Sailplan ...

. The extensions increased the span from 34 ft 9 ins to 50 ft 6 in.

Operational history

The Multoplan was mainly operated by private pilot owners. Two examples remained operational on the German civil aircraft register in 2009 and two aircraft were exhibited in German aviation museums including ''D-EIFF'' displayed in the

Deutsches Technikmuseum (German Museum of Technology) in Berlin, Germany is a museum of science museum, science and technology museum, technology, and exhibits a large collection of historical technical artifacts. The museum's main emphasis originally was on rail tra ...

in the centre of Berlin.

Variants

(per Simpson) ; RW.3-A : two prototypes powered by Porsche 678/0 engine. ; RW.3-A2 :extended wing motor-glider with span wings. ; RW.3-A3 :standard production light aircraft version with span wings and auxiliary fuel tanks at the wing-tips. ; RW.3-P75 : 22 production aircraft, and one amateur-built, powered by Porsche 678/4 engine. ; RW.3-B : glider version with wings extended to . Aspect ratio 12. ; RW 3C-90 Passat : two aircraft retrofitted with a engine, then a Lycoming O-320 with a Hartzell constant speed propeller.

Specifications (RW 3.P75)

Notes

References

* * * * {{RFB aircraft 1950s German civil utility aircraft Single-engined pusher aircraft Mid-engined aircraft RW-003 Mid-wing aircraft T-tail aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1956 de:Rheinflug RW-3