8500

About the 8500

The Rearwin 8500 Sportster is an American single-engine, fixed-wing cabin monoplane designed for sport flying and touring. Suited for private pilots, this two-seat aircraft features a braced high-wing layout with tandem seating for the pilot and passenger, alongside traditional tail-skid landing gear.

Developed during the mid-nineteenthirties to maintain steady company revenue, the design shares stylistic influences with concurrent contemporary light aircraft through shared engineering talent. The type received certifications for operational flexibility with floats and skis, requiring vertical tail enlargements for spin recovery when modified, before wartime manufacturing restrictions halted production.

This page covers the Rearwin REARWIN 8500: the same aircraft under other designations.