The Commonwealth Skyranger, first produced as the Rearwin Skyranger, was the last design of Rearwin Aircraft before the company was purchased by a new owner and renamed Commonwealth Aircraft. It was a side-by-side, two-seat, high-wing taildragger.
Development
The Rearwin company had specialized in aircraft powered by small radial engines, such as their Sportster and Cloudster, and had even purchased the assets of LeBlond Engines to make small radial engines in-house in 1937. By 1940, however, it was clear Rearwin would need a design powered by a small horizontally opposed engine to remain competitive. Intended for sport pilots and flying businessmen, the "Rearwin Model 165" first flew on April 9th, 1940. Originally named the "Ranger," Ranger Engines protested, and Rearwin renamed the design "Skyranger." The overall design and construction methods allowed Rearwin to take orders for Skyrangers then deliver the aircraft within 10 weeks. The Skyranger's development in 1940 came shortly before the U.S. entered World War II. At that time, the U.S. government was purchasing almost any airplane in the two-seat, 50-90 horsepower class as training aircraft for the Civilian Pilot Training Program, intended to develop tens of thousands of pilots for the possibliity of U.S. involvement in the war. However, unlike its contemporaries heavily used in the CPTP such as the Piper Cub, Taylorcraft, Interstate Cadet, and Porterfield Collegiate, the Skyranger was rejected by the government for CPTP use as too challenging to fly. By 1942, Rearwin had produced only 82 Skyrangers when World War II forced production to halt. In 1945 Commonwealth Aircraft re-established production of the Skyranger. The first 12 had to be hand-built, as the original jigs and tooling were recycled or scrapped during World War II. In 1946, production shifted to Valley Stream, New York. the Commonwealth Skyranger had minor modifications but was essentially the same as the pre-war aircraft. Commonwealth went bankrupt in 1946, and was dissolved in March of 1947, partly because the pre-war design failed to compete with new designs and cheap war surplus aircraft.
Design
The Skyranger was a high-wing light plane seating two people side-by-side. It had a conventional landing gear with a tailwheel. It was constructed with a fabric-covered steel tube fuselage and wooden wing -- with a "heavy-airplane feel". With an unusually large vertical stabilizer for its size, the Skyranger was exceptionally susceptible to crosswinds during landing and taxiing. Unusually for the time and aircraft in its class, the Skyranger was also designed with slots in its outer wings to allow controllability at lower speeds.
Variants
;Rearwin Model 165 ;Rearwin Skyranger 175 ;Rearwin Skyranger 180 ;Rearwin Skyranger 180F ;Rearwin Skyranger 190F ;Commonwealth Skyranger 175 ;Commonwealth Skyranger 185 Rearwin also offered a low-cost version of the Skyranger from 1940 to 1941.
