Aircrafttotal Encyclopedia

The Curtiss Robin, introduced in 1928, was a high-wing monoplane built by the Curtiss-Robertson Airplane Manufacturing Company.
The J-1 version was flown by Wrongway Corrigan who crossed the Atlantic after being refused permission.

Design
The Robin, a workmanlike cabin monoplane, had a wooden wing and steel tubing fuselage. The cabin accommodated three persons; two passengers were seated side-by-side behind the pilot. Early Robins were distinguished by large flat fairings over the parallel diagonal wing bracing struts; the fairings were abandoned on later versions, having been found to be ineffective in creating lift. The original landing gear had bungee rubber cord shock absorbers, later replaced by an oleo-pneumatic system; a number of Robins had twin floats added. Variants of the Robin were fitted with engines which developed 90–185 hp (67–138 kW).

Operational history

A single modified Robin (with a 110 hp (82 kW) Warner R-420-1) was used by the United States Army Air Corps, and designated the XC-10. This aircraft was used in a test program for radio-controlled (and unmanned) flight.

Cuba's national airline, Compañía Nacional Cubana de Aviación Curtiss, was founded in 1929 with the Curtiss-Wright company serving as its co-founder and major investor. The airline's first aircraft was a Curtiss Robin and it was flown on domestic routes as a mail and passenger transport.

From September 1929 to May 1930 a Robin C-1 was used to deliver the McCook, Nebraska Daily Gazette to communities in rural Nebraska and Kansas. The airplane flew a nonstop route of 380 miles (610 km) daily, dropping bundles of newspapers from a height of 500 feet (150 m) to local carriers.

A Curtiss Robin C was purchased by the Paraguayan government in 1932 for the transport squadron of its air arm. It was intensively used as a VIP transport plane and air ambulance during the Chaco War (1932–1935)..

Curtiss-Robertson Airplane Manufacturing Company.

Curtiss-Robertson
Curtiss Robin model 50

General Info

Crew: 1 Capacity: 2 pax / 425 lb (193 kg) payload Length: 25 ft 9 in (7.85 m) Wingspan: 41 ft 0 in (12.5 m) Height: 7 ft 10 in (2.4 m) Wing area: 262.5 sq ft (24.39 m²

Powerplant

Empty weight: 1,475 lb (669 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 2,175 lb (987 kg)
Fuel capacity: 50 US gal (42 imp gal; 190 L) fuel; 5 US gal (19 L) oil
Powerplant: 1 × Curtiss OX-5 V-8 water-cooled piston engine, 90 hp
Propellers: 2-bladed fixed pitch propeller

Performance

Maximum speed: (160.5 km/h,
Cruise speed: 85 mph (137 km/h
Landing speed: 45 mph ( 72 km/h)
Range: 785 mi (1,263 km, 682 nmi) cruising; 580 mi (500 nmi; 930 km) at full throttle
Service ceiling: 12,500 ft (3,800 m)
Rate of climb: 450 ft/min (2.3 m/s)
Time to altitude: 3,800 ft (1,200 m) in 10 minutes

Related development

Curtiss Thrush

Special Links Curtiss-Robertson Curtiss Robin model 50

Links to Youtube & Others

The MB-339 was developed during the 1970s in response to an Italian Air Force requirement that sought a replacement for the service's existing fleet of Aermacchi MB-326s.

Curtiss-Robertson Curtiss Robin model 50

Challenger Robin (Model 50A) An early version of the Robin, powered by a 165 hp (123 kW) Curtiss Challenger radial piston engine.

Youtube Link

In 1935, this Curtiss Robin established a world record for sustained flight, using air-to-air refueling.

Curtiss-Robertson
Curtiss Robin model 50

Curtiss-Robertson
Curtiss Robin model 50

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History Curtiss-Robertson Airplane Manufacturing Company
Curtiss Robin model 50