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| STANDARD DATA: Seats 2. Gross wt. 1,460. Empty wt. 861. Fuel capacity 24. Engine 70-hp Ken Royce five-cylinder radial. PERFORMANCE: Top mph 115. Cruise mph 103. Landing mph 38. Initial climb rate 670. Range 500. Ceiling 15,000. |
The first Rearwin 7000 Sportsters appeared in 1935 and were powered by 70-hp LeBlond radials. The Model 8500 Sportster with an 85-hp LeBlond was also introduced in 1935. The Model 9000 version of the Sportster was powered by either a 90-hp Warner, Ken Royce, or LeBlond, which increased the top speed of the aircraft to 123 mph. The tandem two-seat cabin monoplane was produced for five years. During this time, Rearwin Airplanes, Inc. was taken over by the Rearwin Airplanes partnership of R.A. Rearwin, Royce S. Rearwin, and Kenneth R. Rearwin. They bought all the assets of the LeBlond Aircraft Corp. in 1937 and began producing their own engines that carried their name, Ken Royce. From then on all Rearwin Sportsters were provided with Ken Royce engines. The Rearwin company was bought in 1942 and the name changed to the Commonwealth Aircraft Inc.
