PZL Bielsko SZD-12
Encyclopedia
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The SZD-12 Mucha 100 (Szybowcowy Zakład Doświadczalny
- Gider Experimental Works) was a single-seat glider aircraft
that was designed and built in Poland
from 1953.
for use by aero clubs
throughout Poland.. Two hundred and ninety were built with 73 exported to several countries, and an unknown number were licence-built in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC).
Constructed from wood/plywood throughout, the Mucha 100 was much improved from the IS-2 Mucha, with smoother surfaces, better aerodynamics and comprehensive instruments and equipment including a KF-18 oxygen system, lighting and instruments for cloud flying. Pilot comfort was improved by slightly reclining the seat back and increasing legroom, and visibility was increased through a larger one-piece cockpit canopy. Schemp-Hirth style airbrakes
replaced the DFS
style airbrakes of the IS-2, external mass balances fitted to the ailerons cured the tendency to flutter. The wing incidence was reduced to 2° to better align the fuselage with the airflow at higher speeds, reducing drag. Main designer was Władysław Okarmus, constructors were Jan Dyrek and Zbigniew Badura. The prototype was made in ZSLS No.5 in Krosno
- it was the only prototype of the SZD design that was not made in the SZD works in Bielsko
.
Flight trials commenced on 14 November 1953 in Krosno (first flight by Adam Zientek) and soon revealed a dangerous tendency to flutter, in part due to a lack of control surface mass balancing. After balancing of the ailerons and tail surfaces, as well as other improvements, the Mucha 100 was cleared for production as the SZD-12 Mucha 100. Production started in 1954 and 256 were made in ZSLS in Krosno, 14 in Gdańsk
and 20 in Wrocław.
Further improvements were incorporated into the SZD-12A Mucha 100A, which had the external mass balances replaced by weights in the leading edges of the ailerons forward of the hinges. Another modification which was also applied retrospectively to earlier units was a re-located mainwheel, moved rearwards to reduce the weight on the tailwheel during ground handling.
70 Mucha 100's were exported, mostly to the USSR, DDR, Italy, Switzerland and China in multiple orders; single examples were also exported to Austria, France, Finland and India.
The SZD-12 Mucha 100 (Szybowcowy Zakład Doświadczalny
Szybowcowy Zakład Doświadczalny
Szybowcowy Zakład Doświadczalny , Glider Experimental Works was a glider design and research centre of the Polish aerospace industry after World War II, located in Bielsko-Biała. Through its history it underwent many organizational and name changes, among others in 1946-1948 it was Instytut...
- Gider Experimental Works) was a single-seat glider aircraft
Glider aircraft
Glider aircraft are heavier-than-air craft that are supported in flight by the dynamic reaction of the air against their lifting surfaces, and whose free flight does not depend on an engine. Mostly these types of aircraft are intended for routine operation without engines, though engine failure can...
that was designed and built in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
from 1953.
Development
The SZD-12 Mucha (Fly) 100 was derived from the IS-2 Mucha terIS-2 Mucha
|-See also:-References:*Taylor, J. H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. Studio Editions: London. p. 29*Simons, Martin. Sailplanes 1945-1965 2nd revised edition. EQIP Werbung und Verlag G.m.b.H.. Königswinter. 2006. ISBN 3-9807977-4-0...
for use by aero clubs
Polish Aero Club
Aeroklub Polski is the Polish central association of persons practising air sports or recreational flying. It was founded in 1921 and is a member of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. It has a headquarters in Warsaw....
throughout Poland.. Two hundred and ninety were built with 73 exported to several countries, and an unknown number were licence-built in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC).
Constructed from wood/plywood throughout, the Mucha 100 was much improved from the IS-2 Mucha, with smoother surfaces, better aerodynamics and comprehensive instruments and equipment including a KF-18 oxygen system, lighting and instruments for cloud flying. Pilot comfort was improved by slightly reclining the seat back and increasing legroom, and visibility was increased through a larger one-piece cockpit canopy. Schemp-Hirth style airbrakes
Air brake (aircraft)
In aeronautics, air brakes or speedbrakes are a type of flight control surface used on an aircraft to increase drag or increase the angle of approach during landing....
replaced the DFS
DFS
-File systems:* Depth-first search, an algorithm for traversing or searching a tree* DCE Distributed File System * Disc Filing System, a filesystem developed by Acorn Computers...
style airbrakes of the IS-2, external mass balances fitted to the ailerons cured the tendency to flutter. The wing incidence was reduced to 2° to better align the fuselage with the airflow at higher speeds, reducing drag. Main designer was Władysław Okarmus, constructors were Jan Dyrek and Zbigniew Badura. The prototype was made in ZSLS No.5 in Krosno
Krosno
Krosno is a town and county in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland with 47,455 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009.Notably Krosno is the site of the first oil well in the world....
- it was the only prototype of the SZD design that was not made in the SZD works in Bielsko
Bielsko
Bielsko was until 1950 an independent town situated in Cieszyn Silesia, Poland. In 1951 it was joined with Biała Krakowska to form the new town of Bielsko-Biała. Bielsko constitutes the western part of that town....
.
Flight trials commenced on 14 November 1953 in Krosno (first flight by Adam Zientek) and soon revealed a dangerous tendency to flutter, in part due to a lack of control surface mass balancing. After balancing of the ailerons and tail surfaces, as well as other improvements, the Mucha 100 was cleared for production as the SZD-12 Mucha 100. Production started in 1954 and 256 were made in ZSLS in Krosno, 14 in Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
and 20 in Wrocław.
Further improvements were incorporated into the SZD-12A Mucha 100A, which had the external mass balances replaced by weights in the leading edges of the ailerons forward of the hinges. Another modification which was also applied retrospectively to earlier units was a re-located mainwheel, moved rearwards to reduce the weight on the tailwheel during ground handling.
70 Mucha 100's were exported, mostly to the USSR, DDR, Italy, Switzerland and China in multiple orders; single examples were also exported to Austria, France, Finland and India.
Variants
- SZD-12 Mucha 100 – initial production version, 104 built
- SZD-12A Mucha 100A – modified version with altered undercarriage arrangement and internal aileron mass balances, 186 built from 1958
- Lie Fang – Chinese production of a modified version of the Mucha 100 which first flew in 1958
Specifications (SZD-12 Mucha 100)
External links
- http://www.piotrp.de/SZYBOWCE/pszd12.htm
- http://www.aviationmuseum.eu/World/Europe/Poland/Krakow/Muzeum_Lotnictwa_Polskiego.htm
- http://www.muzeumlotnictwa.pl/zbiory_sz.php?ido=89&w=a