KINNER "SPORTSTER" - Plane + Pilot

1932

Plane & Pilot

Tuesday, February 10, 2009 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By: Omar Filipović

Key Takeaways:

Kinner Airplane and Motor Corp., primarily known for its radial engines used in World War II primary trainers, also designed and introduced its own aircraft, starting with the Sportster series in 1932.
The Kinner Sportster was a two-seat, low-wing taildragger powered by a 100-hp Kinner five-cylinder radial engine, featuring a mixed construction of fabric-covered wooden wings and a steel-tube fuselage.
A cabin variant named the Playboy was also produced, which featured a more powerful 160-hp Kinner engine and wire-braced wings.

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Kinner Airplane and Motor Corp. is better-known for radial engines used in many World War II primary trainers, including the Meyers OTW and the Ryan PT- 22, but Kinner also introduced an airplane of its own design in 1932. As might be expected, the side-by-side two-seat Sportster series of low wing taildraggers was powered by 100-hp Kinner five-cylinder radial engines. Some of the Sportsters that are still active have opted for the 125-hp Kinner. The aircraft employed a mixed construction with the conventional fabric-covered wooden wings and fabric-covered steel-tube fuselage combination. Another version, named the Playboy, was a cabin model powered by a 160-hp Kinner. It featured wire-braced rather than strut-braced wings; otherwise, construction was essentially the same.