The aircraft
was designed along the lines of the strut-braced monoplane formula
popularised by Lindbergh's
Spirit of St. Louis. The aircraft was ruggedly built with a
view toward operation from poorly prepared airfields or pastures. The
enclosed cabin provided seating for a pilot in the front and two
passengers in the rear seat. The aircraft was usually equipped with
either a Curtiss Challenger six-cylinder radial engine or a Wright
J6-5 five-cylinder radial engine.
The
Challenger-powered Robin, had 185 horsepower and was capable of a
maximum speed of 115 miles per hour. The aircraft was fitted with
wheel brakes and a steer-able tail wheel or
skid. The drag coefficient of the Robin was a very high 0.0585, which
probably resulted from the very large cylinders of the exposed radial
engine, the many sharp corners of the forward-facing windshield, and
the relatively unfaired junctures between the multitude of struts
supporting the wings and landing gear.
