The Stinson Model R was an American

light aircraft A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a maximum gross takeoff weight of or less.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 308. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. Light aircraft are used as utility aircraft c ...

built by the

Stinson Aircraft Company The Stinson Aircraft Company was an aircraft manufacturing company in the United States between the 1920s and the 1950s. History The Stinson Aircraft Company was founded in Dayton, Ohio, in 1920 by aviator Edward “Eddie” Stinson, the b ...

in the early 1930s. It was a single-engine high-winged

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

, developed from the Stinson Junior. 39 units were built.

Design and development

In 1931, work began on a replacement for Stinson's SM-8

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four-seat light aircraft. The new design, the Model R, while based on the SM-8, had a shorter fuselage and a revised cabin. While the aircraft's undercarriage retained the basic

tailwheel undercarriage Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an 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 dynami ...

layout of the SM-8, the split-axle mainwheels of the earlier aircraft were replaced by a semi-cantilever design, in which the mainwheels and shock-absorber units were enclosed in streamlined fairings attached to a short stub wing, which was also used to carry wing bracing struts. ''Aviation'' March 1932 p.148. The aircraft had a fabric covered, welded steel-tube fuselage, while the wings were of mixed construction, with

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spars The United States Coast Guard (USCG) Women's Reserve, also known as the SPARS (SPARS was the acronym for "Semper Paratus—Always Ready"), was the women's branch of the United States Coast Guard Reserve. It was established by the United States ...

and steel ribs, covered by fabric. ''Aviation'' January 1933, pp. 30–31. A retractable undercarriage was also designed for the Model R, with the mainwheels retracting upwards and inwards into the lower fuselage. This had less benefit to the aircraft's performance than was expected, however, and only a few aircraft were built with the retractable undercarriage. ''Aviation'' September 1932 p. 394. The aircraft was powered by a single Lycoming R-680

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ca ...

( Lycoming was controlled by the Cord Corporation, which also owned a controlling stake in Stinson, and so were the preferred powerplants for Stinson aircraft).

Operational history

The prototype made its maiden flight, piloted by

Edward Stinson Edward Anderson Stinson, Jr. (July 11, 1893 – January 26, 1932) was an American pilot and aircraft manufacturer. "Eddie" Stinson was the founder of Stinson Aircraft Company. At the time of his death in 1932 in an air crash, he was the world's ...

, in autumn 1931 and was certified as airworthy on 25 January 1932. Stinson immediately set off on a sales tour with the prototype, and that same evening was carrying out a demonstration flight from Chicago when fuel shortage forced him down. Stinson was fatally injured in the resulting crash. Production continued, but the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

caused sales to be slow, and only 39 aircraft were built, including five Model R-3s fitted with retractable undercarriage. It was succeeded in production by the

Stinson Reliant The Stinson Reliant is a popular single-engine four- to five-seat high-wing monoplane manufactured by the Stinson Aircraft Division of the Aviation Manufacturing Corporation of Wayne, Michigan. Design and development The Reliant is a high-win ...

, which managed similar performance at much lower cost ($3995 compared with $5595 for the Model R and $6495 for the R-3). ''Aviation'' January 1933, pp. 28–29.

Variants

;R :Basic model, powered by Lycoming R-680 engine. 31 built (including prototype). ;R-1 :Proposed derivative of R with retractable undercarriage. Unbuilt. ;R-2 :Fitted with Lycoming R-680BA engine, while retaining fixed undercarriage. Three built ;R-3 :Fitted with retractable undercarriage and R-680BA engine. Five built. ;R-3S :Conversion of R-3 with Lycoming R-680-6 engine.

Specifications (Model R)

References

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