At that time, the U.S. government was purchasing almost any airplane in the two-seat, 50-90 horsepower class as training aircraft for the Civilian Pilot Training Program ("CPT Program" or "CPTP"), intended to develop tens of thousands of pilots for the possibility of U.S. involvement in the war.

[1] By 1942, Rearwin had produced only 82 Skyrangers (compared to hundreds or thousands of its competitors' planes) when World War II forced production to halt.

[5][2]: 180 The Skyranger handled differently from the other planes in its class (such as the Cub, Taylorcraft, Cadet, Collegiate, and Aeronca Chief), with a "heavy-airplane feel" (heavy controls, exceptional stability).

With an unusually large vertical stabilizer for its size, the Skyranger was exceptionally susceptible to crosswinds during landing and taxiing.

[4][1] Unusually for the time and aircraft in its class, the Skyranger was also designed with slots in its outer wings to allow controllability at lower speeds.