Rawdon received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1925, from Tri-State College at Angola, Indiana. He advanced from a factory mechanic at Travel Air Manufacturing Company to Assistant engineer on the their 6000 model. He became Chief Engineer in 1928. Over the next several years, he assisted with the development of several aircraft models with Walter Beech, Clyde Cessna and Ted Wells. Rawdon, in collaboration with Walter Burnham, designed the Mystery S which won the 1929 Cleveland Air Races. With his brothers, Gene and Alanson, he formed Rawdon Brothers Aircraft and opened a flight training school using Piper Cubs. His design for an agricultural crop sprayer was the basis for today’s aerial application aircraft. Rawdon was active in aircraft engineering and design for almost fifty years, developing original concepts that improved the standards of general aviation aircraft.