''Doświadczalne Warsztaty Lotnicze'' (DWL) ('Experimental Aeronautical Workshops') was the

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

aircraft manufacturer An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology industry. ...

, active in 1933–1939. It was a home of the RWD construction team and manufactured aircraft under a brand RWD.

History

The RWD construction team was organized of students of

Warsaw University of Technology The Warsaw University of Technology () is one of the leading institutes of technology in Poland and one of the largest in Central Europe. It employs 2,453 teaching faculty, with 357 professors (including 145 titular professors). The student body ...

around 1928. They built their first designs in workshops of the Aviation Section of Students' Mechanical Club, in University buildings. In 1930 the workshops moved to new buildings near Okęcie airport in Warsaw, founded by the LOPP organization. In March 1933 the workshops separated from the Aviation Section and the University, and there was created a company ''Doświadczalne Warsztaty Lotnicze'' to manufacture RWD aircraft. Main designers were

Stanisław Rogalski Stanisław Rogalski (25 May 1904 – 6 February 1976) was a Polish aircraft designer, born in Olomouc, best known as one of the founding trio (the other two being Stanisław Wigura and Jerzy Drzewiecki) of the inter-war period RWD airplane facto ...

and

Jerzy Drzewiecki Jerzy Drzewiecki (7 August 1902 – 15 May 1990) was a Polish aeroplane constructor, engineer and one of the founders of the RWD construction bureau, along with Rogalski and Wigura. He was born in Warsaw. Among his most notable constructions ...

of the RWD team, other designers were

Bronisław Żurakowski Bronisław Żurakowski (26 June 1911 – 4 October 2009) was a Polish engineer, aeroplane constructor, and Glider (sailplane), glider test pilot. Personal life Bronisław Żurakowski was born in Makiejowka. He was a brother of test pilot J ...

, Tadeusz Chylinski,

Leszek Dulęba Leszek () is a Slavic Polish male given name, originally ''Lestko'', ''Leszko'' or ''Lestek'', related to ''Lech'', ''Lechosław'' and Czech ''Lstimir''. Individuals named Leszek celebrate their name day on June 3. Notable people bearing the nam ...

and

Andrzej Anczutin Andrzej is the Polish form of the given name Andrew. Notable individuals with the given name Andrzej * Andrzej Bartkowiak (born 1950), Polish film director and cinematographer * Andrzej Bobola, S.J. (1591–1657), Polish saint, missionary and m ...

and several engineers, including Henry Millicer. A company director was Jerzy Wędrychowski. First RWD designs manufactured in the DWL were the Polish basic trainer

RWD-8 The RWD 8 was a Polish parasol wing monoplane trainer aircraft produced by RWD (aircraft manufacturer), RWD. It was used from 1934 to 1939 by the Polish Polish Air Force, Air Force and civilian aviation. Development The RWD 8 was designed in re ...

and the sports plane

RWD-9 The RWD 9 was a Polish sports plane of 1934, constructed by the RWD team. Development The aircraft was a further development of the RWD 6 - the winner of the ''IIIrd Challenge de Tourisme International'' Challenge 1932 international tourist airc ...

(the winner of

Challenge 1934 The Challenge 1934 was the fourth and last FAI International Tourist Plane Contest (), that took place between August 28 and September 16, 1934, in Warsaw, Poland. The four Challenges, from 1929 to 1934, were major aviation events in pre-war Europe ...

international contest). Due to limited capabilities of DWL, only some 80 RWD-8s were made in the DWL, and about 470 licence-built in

Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów (PWS; ''Podlachian Aircraft Factory'') was a Polish aerospace manufacturer between 1923 and 1939, located in Biała Podlaska. History Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów S.A. (corporation), SA was created in 1923. The f ...

(PWS). Also, a reconnaissance plane

RWD-14 Czapla The RWD-14 Czapla (LWS Czapla) was a Polish army cooperation aircraft (observation, close reconnaissance and liaison aircraft), designed in the mid-1930s by the RWD team, and produced in the LWS factory from 1938. A series of 65 aircraft were ...

was licence-built in Lubelska Wytwórnia Samolotów (LWS) only. The plane manufactured in biggest number in DWL was a touring plane

RWD-13 The RWD 13 was a Polish touring plane of 1935 in aviation, 1935, three-seater high-wing monoplane, designed by the RWD (aircraft manufacturer), RWD team. It was the biggest commercial success of the RWD. Development The RWD 13 was a touring plane ...

(about 100). Other important designs were the RWD-10

aerobatic Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gl ...

plane (1933),

RWD-17 The RWD 17 was a Polish aerobatics-trainer aircraft of 1937, parasol wing monoplane, constructed by the RWD team. Development The aircraft was designed for an order of the LOPP paramilitary organization, as an interim trainer aircraft between p ...

aerobatic-trainer plane (1937) and RWD-21 light sports plane (1939).

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

prevented further development and serial production of later RWD designs, and put an end to the DWL workshops.

Aircraft

DWL operated as the factory of RWD. As such, once testing was completed and design was finalized by the latter, it would be passed to the former for mass production.

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

External links

RWD / Doświadczalne Warsztaty Lotnicze – Samoloty w Lotinctwie Polskim
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doswiadczalne Warsztaty Lotnicze Aircraft manufacturers of Poland Science and technology in Poland