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| STANDARD DATA: Seats 3. Gross wt. 2,620. Empty wt. 1,710. Fuel capacity 35. Engine 90-hp Curtiss OX-5 or 225-hp Continental W-670K. PERFORMANCE: (90 hp). Top mph 100. Cruise mph 84.Initial climb rate 400. Range 800. Ceiling 10,200. PERFORMANCE: (225 hp): Top mph 126. Cruise mph 104. Initial climb rate 800. Range 410. Ceiling 14,250. |
The design and production of the first Curtiss Robin three-seat monoplanes was begun by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Co. in Garden City, New York. It was soon decided that producing a commercial machine in a factory primarily equipped for military aircraft was impractical; thus, the Curtiss-Robertson Airplane Manufacturing Corp. was formed in 1928 to take over production of the Curtiss Robin C-1. The first Robin’s modest price was primarily due to its use of cheap, surplus 90-hp OX-5 engines. Sales were excellent, and the type became the first cabin three-seater to be mass-produced. During the plane’s production life, several variations were produced with different engines, but today about half of the Robins still in service are powered by 225-hp Continentals. As the supply of the OX-5 engines diminished, the Robin was introduced with the new Curtiss Challenger 165-hp engine. This combination proved to be the most popular of the last several Robin models, and over 750 were sold. In the last year of production, a four-place variant of the type was introduced as the Robin 4C-1A but failed to achieve much of a following; only 25 of this type were produced.
