R.W.D. 15

Designed in R.W.D's Warsaw plant between 1935 and 1936, the R.W.D 15 was a 5 seat touring airplane.

In 1939, One R.W.D 15 was contributed to the Jewish population of Palestine by Polish Jewry and was operated by “Aviron,” one of the first airlines in Palestine. The R.W.D 15 was the largest single engined aircraft operated by “Aviron” and carried the registration VQ-PAE. “Aviron” employed the aircraft on both its local and international routes, local routes included daily flights between Lod and Haifa while international routes included flights to Egypt. In 1941 it was even suggested that the type would fly to the Iraqi city of Basra, but this was rejected by British authorities.

The beginning of the Israeli War of Independence in late 1947 brought about Arab attacks against the Jewish workforce of Lod Airport, home to the “Aviron” fleet. On December 13th 1947, the entire “Aviron” fleet left Lod for Tel-Aviv airport, later renamed Sde-Dov. The R.W.D 15 however, was scheduled to be recertified in February 1948 and was undergoing repairs in an airport hangar. On April 13 1948 local Arabs infiltrated the airport and set the R.W.D 15 on fire.

Specification: R.W.D 15
Type: 5 seat light transport and touring monoplane.
Powerplant: one de Havilland Walter Gipsy 6.
Performance: max speed - 240km/h, min speed - 75km/h, rate of climb 4.8m/s, range - 1000km.
Weights: empty - 875kg, max takeoff - 1360kg.
Dimensions: span - 12.40m, length - 9.00m, height - 2.50m.
Armament: none.

Sources: IAF Inventory