Robert Retz Light Airplanes and Projects

[hesham]

Hi,

the American designer Robert E. Retz who formed Retz Aero Shop
company,he created a series of light airplanes and projects,began
with R-1& R-2,they were a single seat light aircraft,R-1 was a biplane
and R-2 was a monoplane,followed by R-4 biplane,the R-2 was
redesigned as R-5,later the R-10 was anther single seat biplane,
projects included R-3,R-6,R-7 & R-9,the only known was R-8 project,
it was a sporting biplane,that happened in 1930s,page 240.

American airplanes: Ra - Ri

Flying Magazine

books.google.com.eg

The Retz R-8 in 1/3 scale taperwing sportplane - Page 6 - RC Groups

Page 6-Build Log The Retz R-8 in 1/3 scale taperwing sportplane Giant Scale Airplanes

www.rcgroups.com

 

[hesham]

From Skyways 88,

a 3-view to Retz R-5.

 

[Apophenia]

Thanks Hesham. A minor note, the Retz R-4 wasn't a biplane ... it was a 2-seat parsol "high-lift monoplane" - see: Popular Aviation, July 1935, pg.63.

Don Olsen (a member of the RC Group forum Hesham linked to) has an 8-page article on Retz aircraft in Skyways #111, July 2015. Does anyone have access? http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/963945

Olsen mounted pages from 'Robert Retz, Pioneer Homebuilder' that Hesham posted. I've reprocessed the aircraft images from that Hans Dam article (Sport Aviation, Aug 1977) which I'll attach at the bottom.

BTW: Can anyone positively identify this Retz parasol model in the Minnetrista Heritage Collection?
-- http://minnetrista.pastperfect-online.com/34201images/044/2004826-2.JPG

Below is a start on A Retz type list ...

_____________________________________________________

Retz Aero Shop - Municipal Airport, Farmland, Indiana

Robert Retz, Pres. and Sales Mgr.
Fred Rathel, Vice-pres., Treas. and Secy.;
Lawrence D. Ely, Chief Eng.
-- Aviation Week and Space Technology, Vol 36, 1937, pg.138


Retz R-1 -- 1930 single-seat biplane, wooden construction
- R-1: Initial engine, 1 x 40 hp Rathel-Chevrolet convers.
- R-1: Re-engined, 1 x 80 hp Anzani 6-cylinder radial

Retz R-2 -- 1930 single-seat parasol, wooden constr, span 32'
- R-2: Initial engine, 1 x 40 hp Rathel-Chevrolet convers.*
- R-2: Re-engined, 1 x Ford Model A, desig. R-5 (below)
-- * Fred Rathel air-cooled 4-cyl inline, 1926 Chev conv.

Retz R-3 - Single-seat sports biplane
- R-3: 1 x (??)* radial, span (??)
-- * Possibly 45hp Szekely SR-3 radial

Retz R-4 -- 1934 2-seat high-lift parasol monoplane
- R-4: Orig. (NC11194) was 40 hp Rathel-Chevrolet*
-- * Rathel-Chevrolet conv. removed from Retz R-2
- R-4: Later (NC14508) 1 x ~40 hp Ford Model B conv.

Retz R-5 -- 1935 rebuilt R-2 airframe as 2-seat parasol
- R-5: 1 x ~50 hp Ford Model A 4-cyl inline conversion

Retz R-6 -- [Project] biplane (??)

Retz R-7 -- [Project] biplane (??)

Retz R-8 - Taperwing single-seat sports biplane
- R-8: 1 x (??) 4-cyl inline engine, span (top wing) 5.48 m

Retz R-9 -- [Project] biplane (??)

Retz R-10 - 1934 single-seat strutless* biplane
- R-10: 1 x 65 hp LeBlond Model 5D 5-cyl radial
-- * No interplane struts, ailerons bottom only
-- NR15755, aka Retz 'Taper-Wing Biplane'
-- Hanes H-1 Hornet: 1947 Midget low-wing** racer
-- ** H-1 re-used R-10 fuselage, 1 x 85 hp C-85
-- NX68379, http://www.aerofiles.com/_h.html
-- http://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/special_ms223_photographs/1514/preview.jpg

__________________________________

 

[hesham]

Excellent work my dear Apophenia,

and as my dears said,if someone has the Skyways issue 111,please send the article about Retz.

 

[burunduk]

Dear Apophenia, thank you for your post.

But I'm very surprised by your statement that R-3 was just a project.
There is a photo in Popular aviation 1934 #6 p.386 signed "Retz R-3 biplane". And that is definitely not the R-10. Here is this photo.

Could you, please, comment it?

 

[hesham]

Thank you my dear Burunduk,

and you meant R-8 and not R-3.

 

[burunduk]

Good day, hesham!

No, the R-8 was a very different project. Here it is, look on the struts and on the wing planform. The first article is written about R-3.

And I'm surprised that Apophenia wrote:
Retz R-3 -- [Project] biplane (??)

 

[Apophenia]

burunduk: Not so much a "statement" as ignorance ... hence the (??)

Your R-3 and R-8 details have now been added to my ad hoc type list.