Doświadczalne Warsztaty Lotnicze
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1933 |
| Headquarters | , |
Doświadczalne Warsztaty Lotnicze (DWL), which translates to 'Experimental Aeronautical Workshops,' was a Polish aircraft manufacturer operational between 1933 and 1939. It served as the manufacturing base for the RWD design team, producing aircraft under the RWD brand.
History
The RWD design collective originated around 1928, formed by students from the Warsaw University of Technology. Their initial aircraft projects were constructed within the Aviation Section workshops of the Students' Mechanical Club, housed in university premises. By 1930, these workshops relocated to newly established facilities near Warsaw's Okęcie airport, developed by the LOPP organization. In March 1933, the workshops formally separated from both the Aviation Section and the university, resulting in the establishment of Doświadczalne Warsztaty Lotnicze as an independent company dedicated to manufacturing RWD aircraft.
The principal designers included Stanisław Rogalski and Jerzy Drzewiecki from the RWD group, supported by other engineers such as Bronisław Żurakowski, Tadeusz Chylinski, Leszek Dulęba, and Andrzej Anczutin, with contributions from several others including Henry Millicer. The company's management was led by director Jerzy Wędrychowski.
Among the earliest RWD models produced at DWL were the Polish basic trainer aircraft, the RWD-8, and the sports plane RWD-9, which won the international Challenge 1934 competition. Due to DWL’s limited production capacity, approximately 80 units of the RWD-8 were built there, while about 470 were produced under license at Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów (PWS). Additionally, the reconnaissance aircraft RWD-14 Czapla was manufactured under license exclusively at Lubelska Wytwórnia Samolotów (LWS).
The touring aircraft RWD-13 was DWL’s most extensively produced model, with roughly 100 units built. Other significant designs included the aerobatic RWD-10 (1933), aerobatic-trainer RWD-17 (1937), and light sports plane RWD-21 (1939). The outbreak of World War II halted further development and serial production of subsequent RWD models and led to the closure of DWL workshops.
Aircraft
Functioning as RWD’s manufacturing arm, DWL took finalized designs from RWD after testing and proceeded with mass production.Template:Original research inline
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| RWD-5 | 1931 | 20 | Single-engine monoplane sport aircraft |
| RWD-8 | 1933 | ~80[lower-alpha 1] | Single-engine monoplane trainer |
| RWD-9 | 1933 | 10 | Single-engine monoplane sport aircraft |
| RWD 10 | 1933 | ~23 | Single-engine monoplane aerobatic aircraft |
| RWD 13 | 1935 | ~100 | Single-engine monoplane touring aircraft |
| RWD 17 | 1937 | ~30 | Single-engine monoplane trainer |
| RWD 21 | 1939 | 6+ | Single-engine monoplane sport aircraft |
Footnotes
- ↑ Although designed by RWD/DWL, only about 80 units were manufactured by DWL itself.
Bibliography
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