The SZD-59 was designed both as a contest aerobatic sailplane (+7/ -5 g) and, with wingtip extensions, as a 15 m. Standard Class sailplane. It has top and bottom surface Schempp-Hirth type airbrakes, retractable main wheel and provision for water ballast. The 15 m tip extensions come with optional winglets. Control connections are fully automatic.
Wing span: 13.2 m / 43.9 ft Wing area: 9.8 sq.m / 105.49 sq.ft Aspect ratio: 17.79 Airfoil: NN 8 Empty Weight: 265 kg / 584 lb Payload: 115 kg / 235 lb Gross Weight: 380 kg / 838 lb Wing Load: 38.82 kg/sq.m / 7.96 lb/sq.ft L/DMax: 36 115 kph / 62 kt / 71 mph MinSink: 0.77 m/s / 2.53 fps / 1.50 kt Seats: 1
The Diana sailplane, designed by Borgumil Beres, is a flapped single place high-performance sailplane 15-meter with a mid- height wing and a “T”-tail arrangement. It uses carbon and aramide fibers exclusively to achieve an impressively low weight for a competitive sailplane of this type. The unique “sparless” wings can hold 160 litres (42.25 gallons) of water ballast, with a scant 46 kg (101.4 lb) weight for each wing panel. The structure of the Diana is exceeds the strength requirements of the JAR-22 Utility Category. The control stick is mounted on the right hand side of the cockpit rather than in the more customary center position. This arrangement brings the instrument panel closer to pilot. The adjustable backrest and headrest combine with the in-flight adjustable pedals for pilot comfort. The Diana has the capacity to carry up to 5.8 liters (1.5 gallons) of tail ballast to correct C.G. location. The ballast tanks are fitted with relief valves to relieve the pressure caused by ballast in a spin. Glidepath control is provided by top-surface air brakes. Roll rate (45 degrees to 45 degrees) is approximately 3 sec.
Wing span: 15 m / 49.21 ft Wing area: 8.16 sq.m / 87.84 sq.ft Aspect ratio: 27.5 Airfoil: NN-27-13 Empty Weight: 175 kg / 385.8 lb Payload: 115 kg / 253.5 lb Gross Weight: 410 kg / 904 lb Wing Load: 50.3 kg/sq.m / 10.3 lb/sq.ft Water Ballast: 160 kg / 353 lb L/DMax: 48:1 MinSink: 0.46 m/s / 1.51 ft/s / 0.89 kt Seats: 1
Designed by Tadeusz Labuc, this Standard Class sailplane first flew in 1988. Built from GFRP, epoxy and composites, the wing planform is of the Discus type. It has upper surface double segment Schempp-Hirth type airbrakes for approach control and a 9 kg./ 20 lb. Fin ballast tank in addition to wing tank. An SZD-55 placed second in the Standard Class at the 1991 World Championships at Uvalde TX, and another placed third at the 1993 Worlds at Borlange, Sweden.
Wing span: 15 m / 49.2 ft Wing area: 9.6 sq.m / 103.33 sq.ft Aspect ratio: 23.44 Airfoil: NN 27 Empty Weight: 210 kg / 463 lb Payload: 290 kg / 639 lb Gross Weight: 500 kg / 1102 lb Wing Load: 52 kg/sq.m / 10.65 lb/sq.ft Water Ballast: 220 kg / 441 lb L/DMax: 43 85 kph / 46 kt / 53 mph MinSink: 0.63 m/s / 1.6 fps / 1.17 kt Seats: 1
Designed by Stanislaw Zientek, this simple early solo/ club glider first flew in 1980. It has a fixed main wheel and top surface Schempp-Hirth type airbrakes. A simplified model 51-2 was a runner up in the IGC World Class design contest. The structure is GFRP, epoxy, and steel tube.
Designed by Dipl-lng Adam Meus, this high performance tandem two-seater is intended to succeed the popular SZD-9 Bocian for training and performance flying, and resembles the SZD-42 Jantar 2 and 2B but with a shorter span and the addition of the second seat. The Puchacz (or Eagle Owl) has been modified and developed from a prototype known as the SZD-50-1 Dromader which first flew on 21 December 1976; the Puchacz first flew a year later.
The first production aircraft flew on 13 April 1979 and nine had been built by the beginning of 1980. It is mainly of glassfibre sandwich construction, and has cantilever mid-set wings with slight forward sweep, plain ailerons and air bakes in the upper and lower surfaces. The glassfibre fuselage is supported in the central portion by two wooden frames, to which the wings and undercarriage are attached, and the landing gear consists of a non-retractable semi-recessed nose wheel, a sprung monowheel mounted behind the cg with a disc brake, and a tailskid which can be replaced by a tail wheel. There are two towing hooks, one in the nose for aero tows and the other mounted on the eg for winch launching. The tail unit is of glassfibre sandwich, the rudder being fabric-covered. The two pilots sit under a flush-fitting one-piece cockpit canopy that opens sideways, and have dual controls; the instrumentation for the front seat is easily visible from the rear seat.
SZD-50-3 Puchacz
The improved 50- 3 is the major production model with larger horizontal tailplane situated part of the way up the fin and enlarged rudder. It has a fixed main wheel, top and bottom surface Schempp-Hirth type airbrakes, and is stressed for erect and inverted aerobatic maneuvers. It has been used widely throughout the soaring world both as an initial and intermediate training sailplane, and as an aerobatic instructional platform and entry level aerobatic contest ship.
The Ogar (or Greyhound) two-seater motor glider designed by Dipl-lng Tadeusz Labuc is SZD’s first self-launching to go into production and was intended for training from ab initio to advanced stages, and for cross-country flying.
Of mixed glassfibre and wooden construction, the Ogar’s single-spar cantilever shoulder-mounted wooden wings have a moulded plywood stressed skin covered with glassfibre, and slotless ailerons of glassfibre sandwich construction; there are air brakes above and below each wing. The Ogar features sailplane rigging. The main nacelle of the pod and boom fuselage is a glassfibre/epoxy resin shell built on two wooden frames which carry the wings, engine mounting and fuel tank (up to 48.5lb of fuel can be carried) and also the tail boom. The two pilots sit staggered side-by-side with dual controls as standard under a two-piece flush-fitting canopy, the rear portion of which opens upwards for exit and entry. The fin is integral with the tail boom and there is a fully-castoring tailwheel under the rudder plus a semi-retractable monowheel with shock absorbers and a disc brake; for flying school use outrigger legs and wheels are mounted under the wing tips.
It first flew in prototype form on 29 May 1973 with a 45hp Stamo engine mounted behind the cabin and driving a two bladed Hoffmann pusher propeller; the T-tail unit is carried on a tubular duralumin boom that passes under the airscrew disc. Because the German Stamo engine was no longer in production a 68hp Sportavia-Limbach four-cylinder horizontally-opposed engine was later fitted to the prototype which was also later fitted with wing tip winglets, first flying with these on 10 September 1979. This modificatiion was devised by MrW. Blazewicz of Warsaw Technical University.
The production SZD-45A is powered by a 68hp Limbach SL 1700EC powerplant driving a two-blade Hoffman pusher propeller. In 1978 a version of the Ogar was proposed powered by a 60hp PZL-Franklin 2A-120C (later 2A-120CP) ‘flat twin’engine, which was to become the standard engine for production aircraft. The Franklin-engined SZD-45-2 Ogar-F first flew on 13 March 1979. A total of 65 Ogars had been built by the beginning of 1980, and the type had been exported to both East and West Germany, Sweden, the UK and the USA. The U.S. import is powered with the dual ignition, turbocharged, Revmaster engine. Production has now ended.
PZL Bielsko / SZD SZD 45 a Ogar Engine: 51 kW/ 68 bhp Limbach SL 1700 Wing span: 17.53 m / 57 ft 6.25 in Wing area: 19.1 sq.m / 205.6 sq.ft Length: 26 ft 1 in / 7.95 m Aspect ratio: 16.25 Airfoil: Wortmann FX 61-168/ FX 60-1261 Height: 1.72 m / 5 ft 7.75 in Empty Weight: 470 kg / 1036 lb Payload: 230 kg / 507 lb Gross Weight: 700 kg / 1543 lb Water ballast: None Wing Load: 36.6 kg/sq.m / 7.49 lb/sq.ft L/DMax: 22.6:1 at 97 kph / 52 kt / 60 mph MinSink: 0.96 m/s / 3.15 fps / 1.87 kt at 50 mph / 39 kt / 72 km/h Max. speed: 121 kts / 225 km/h / 112 mph at sea level Stalling speed: 37 kt / 68 km/h Landing speed: 42 kts / 78 km/h Cruising speed: 51 kts / 95 km/h Max rate of climb at S/L: 168 m/min / 551 ft/min Take-off run: 200 m / 656 ft Range with max fuel: 341 miles / 550 km / 296 nm Seats: 2
The 1972 Open Class SZD-38 Jantar-1 single-seater (or Amber), designed by Dipl-lng Adam Kurbiel, was developed by Dipl-lng W.Okarmus into the SZD-41A Jantar Standard, which had the same fuselage and tail unit as the Jantar-1 but new cantilever mid-set wings of 15m span designed to OSTIV Standard Class requirements.
The wings are single-spar ribless structures with foam-filled glassfibre/epoxy resin sandwich skin; no flaps are fitted and there are DFS glassfibre air brakes above and below each wing. There is also provision for 80kg (176lb) of water ballast in the leading edges. The fuselage is an all-glassfibre/epoxy resin shell, the centre portion having a steel tube frame on which the wings and the monowheel are mounted. The cantilever T-tail is also of glassfibre/epoxy resin, the fin being integral with the fuselage; the elevator has a spring trim. There is a retractable monowheel with a disc brake and a fixed tailwheel. The pilot sits on a semi-reclining seat under a flush-fitting two-piece canopy of which the front half is fixed and the rear section is removable for exit and entry.
The SZD-41A made its first flight on 3 October 1973 in the hands of A. Zientek, and the Polish team flying the type in the 1974 World Championships at Waikerie, Australia, took 3rd and 7th places in the Standard Class, while SZD-41 s were placed 4th, 6th and 18th in the 1976 World Championships at Rayskala, Finland.
The SZD-49 Jantar K is an FAI 15m class version of the Jantar Standard with wing flaps; the prototype first flew on 10 October 1978.
SZD-48 Standard Jantar 2
The SZD-48 Jantar Standard 2 single-seater is a development of the SZD-41A also designed by Dipllng W. Okarmus, and first flew in prototype form on 10 December 1977; 96 had been built by the beginning of 1980. The cantilever shoulder wings have single glassfibre roving main spars and no ribs; they are covered with glassfibre/foam/glassfibre moulded skins and have plain ailerons, with duralumin air brakes in the upper and lower surfaces. There is provision for 150 litres (33 Imp gal) of water ballast. The glassfibre fuselage has a steel tube central frame, and the rear portion is stiffened by half-frames and ribs. The cantilever T-tail is of similar construction to the wings and has a spring trim in the elevator. There is a retractable monowheel with disc brake and a semi-recessed tailwheel. With simple modifications to the trim and speed measuring systems the SZD-48 becomes the SZD-48-2.
Altogether 160 Jantar Standards had been built by the beginning of 1980 and the type has been exported to 18 countries, including both East and West Germany, the USA and the Soviet Union.
The 48-3 Standard 3 superseded the 2 first flying in 1983.
SZD-41A Span: 49 ft 2.5 in / 15.0 m Length: 23 ft 4 in / 7.2 m Height: 5 ft 3 in Wing area: 114.7 sqft / 10.66 sq.m Aspect ratio: 21.1 Empty weight: 551 lb / 250.0 kg Max weight: 970 lb / 440.0 kg Max. payload: 419.0 lb / 190.0 kg Wing loading: 8.41 lb/sq.ft / 41.0 kg/sq.m Max speed: 135 kts / 250 km/h / 155 mph (in smooth air) Max aero-tow speed: 93 mph Landing speed: 37 kts / 68 km/h Cruising speed: 57 kts / 105 km/h Min sinking speed: 2.03 ft/sec at 48.5 mph Best glide ratio: 40:1 at 65 mph Crew: 1
Jantar Standard 2 Wing span: 15.0 m (49 ft 2.5 in) Length: 6.71 m (22 ft 8.5 in) Wing area: 10.66 sq.m (114.8 sq.ft) Wing section: NN-8 Aspect ratio: 21.1 Empty weight: 247 kg (545 lb) Max weight: 520 kg (1,146 lb) Water ballast: 150 kg (330 lb) Max wing loading: 41.27 kg/sq.m (8.45 lb/sq.ft) Max speed: 167 kt (310 km/h) Stalling speed: 39 kt (72 km/h) Min sinking speed: 0.65 m/sec (2.0 ft/sec) at 39.4 kt (73 km/h) Max rough air speed: 86.5 kt (160 km/h) Best glide ratio: 40 at 70 kt (130 km/h)
48-3 Standard 3 Wing span: 15 m / 49.2 ft Wing area: 10.66 sq.m / 113.4 sq.ft Aspect ratio: 21.1 Airfoil: PZL NN-8 Empty Weight: 265 kg / 583 lb Payload: 266 kg / 586 lb Gross Weight: 540 kg / 1190 lb Wing Load: 50.66 kg/sq.m / 10.49 lb/sq.ft Water Ballast: 150 kg / 330 lb MinSink: 0.77 m/s / 2.53 fps / 1.50 kt L/DMax: 40 111 kph / 60 kt / 69 mph Seats: 1
The SZD-40X Halny high performance two-seater research sailplane was designed by Dipl-lng Wladyslaw Okarmus to test a new NN-11M wing section based on that of the SZD-31 Zefir 4, which gave excellent performance at high speeds but was not so good for soaring in weak thermals. The Halny made its first flight on 23 December 1972 piloted by Dipl-lng Z.Bylock.
The new cantilever 20m span shoulder mounted wing has 4° forward sweep at the quarter chord line and is a sparless glassfibre/wooden box structure with stainless steel fittings; the hingeless flaps and plain ailerons are operated by pushrods, and there are SZD-type double plate metal air brakes above and below the wing surface at 60% chord. The forward part of the fuselage is an all-plastic monocoque, the centre portion has a steel tube frame on which the wings and monowheel are mounted, and the rear fuselage is a monocoque metal tube. The cantileverT-tail is made of glassfibre and has spring trimming, while the landing gear consists of a backwards-retracting monowheel with a shoe brake and a fixed tailwheel. The forward seat is occupied by a flight observer, the controls and instrument panel being fitted in the rear cockpit only; the crew of two sit under a long flush-fitting one-piece canopy in tandem.
SZD-40X Halny
Span: 20.0 m / 65 ft 7.5 in Length: 8.75 m / 28 ft 8.5 in Height: 1.8 m / 5 ft 11 in Wing area: 16.11 sq,m / 173.4 sq.ft Aspect ratio: 24.66 Wing section: NN-11M Empty weight: 410 kg / 904 lb Max weight: 596 kg / 1,314 lb Water ballast: None Max wing loading: 36.9 kg/sq.m / 7.55 lb/sq.ft Max speed: 150 mph / 130 kt / 240 km/h Stalling speed: 35 kt / 65 km/h Min sinking speed: 0.55 m/sec / 1.8 ft/sec at 46.5 mph / 40.5 kt / 75 km/h Best glide ratio: 43:1 at 62 mph / 54 kt / 100 km/h
The first all glassfibre SZD type being the prototype Open Class SZD-38 Jantar-1 single-seater (or Amber) of 19m span, designed by Dipl-lng Adam Kurbiel, which first appeared in public at the 1972 World Championships at Vrsac, Yugoslavia, where it came 3rd in the Open Class and won the OSTIV cup for the best 19m design.
In 1972 it set up seven new Polish national records. It was then developed by Dipl-lng W.Okarmus into the SZD-41A Jantar Standard. The T-tailed 19 m. Jantar 1 (SZD 38A) was followed by the 20.5 m. Jantar 2 and 2B versions (SZD 42A) in 1976, which reverted to a conventional tail, and raised the wing to the shoulder position. All models have airbrakes on upper and lower wing surfaces and an unusual upper wing skin consisting of one unbroken sheet all the way to the flap trailing edge, the flaps moving from +8 to -8 degree by bending the skin. Apart from some plywood bulkheads and a welded steel tube fuselage center section carry through, the ship is all fiberglass.
Originally designated SZD-42A, the SZD-42-1 Jantar 2 high performance Open Class single-seater was developed by Dipl-lng Adam Kurbiel from the all-plastics SZD-38A Jantar-1 of which a small number had been built; the Jantar 2 made its first flight on 2 February 1976. The first two prototypes were flown by the Polish team in the 1976 World Championships in Finland, where they came 2nd and 3rd in the Open Class flown respectively by J. Ziobro and H.Muszczynski. These two Jantars had wings built in two sections whereas the production aircraft have the wings built in four pieces for ease of rigging and trailer transport; one of the latter aircraft, flown by R.Johnson of the USA, came 7th in the Open Class in the 1976 World Championships.
SZD-42A Jantar 2
Altogether 23 Jantar 2s had been built by the beginning of 1979, and these differ from the Jantar Standard chiefly in having wings of 20.5m (67ft 3in) span and a low-set tailplane with elevators and no tabs. Up to 287lb of water ballast can be carried, and when it is the g limits of the airframe are +4.0/-1.5, or +5.37-2.65 g without the water ballast. The Jantar 2 is of all glassfibre construction very similar to the Jantar Standard; unlike the latter it has hingeless trailing edge flaps hung from the upper surfaces, as well as light alloy DFS-type air brakes in both the upper and lower wing surfaces. The cantilever tail unit is of glassfibre/epoxy resin and there is a retractable monowheel and a tailskid instead of a tailwheel.
A later version was the SZD-42-2 Jantar 2B, which is very similar to the Mk 2 but with the wings raised from the mid to the shoulder position and the incidence reduced slightly. Up to 375lb of water ballast can now be carried, and the Jantar 2B features improvements to cockpit comfort, the monowheel retraction system and the elevator spring trim; there is provision for a towing hook on the cg. The Jantar 2B made its first flight on 13 March 1978 and 32 had been built by the beginning of 1980.
PZL Bielsko / SZD SZD 38 Jantar Length: 23.622 ft / 7.2 m Wingspan: 62.336 ft / 19.0 m Aspect ratio: 27.0 Wing area: 144.022 sq.ft / 13.38 sq.m Max take off weight: 1146.6 lb / 520.0 kg Weight empty: 639.5 lb / 290.0 kg Max. weight carried: 507.2 lb / 230.0 kg Max. speed: 135 kts / 250 km/h Landing speed: 35 kts / 65 km/h Cruising speed: 52 kts / 97 km/h Wing loading: 8.0 lb/sq.ft / 39.0 kg/sq.m Glide ratio: 47.0 Crew: 1
Jantar 2 Span: 67 ft 3 in Length: 23 ft 4 in Height: 5 ft 9.25 in Wing area: 153.4 sqft Aspect ratio: 29.5 Empty weight: 727 lb Max weight: 1,307 lb Max speed: 155 mph (in smooth air) Max aero-tow speed: 87 mph Min sinking speed: 1.80 ft/sec at 56 mph Best glide ratio: 48:1 at 63.5 mph
PZL Bielsko / SZD SZD 42 Jantar 2a Length: 23.327 ft / 7.11 m Wingspan: 67.257 ft / 20.5 m Aspect ratio: 29.2 Wing area: 153.279 sq.ft / 14.240 sq.m Max take off weight: 1278.9 lb / 580.0 kg Max. speed: 135 kts / 250 km/h Landing speed: 35 kts / 65 km/h Cruising speed: 49 kts / 90 km/h Wing loading: 8.41 lb/sq.ft / 41.0 kg/sq.m Glide ratio: 48.0 Crew: 1
SZD 42 Jantar 2B Wing span: 20.5 m / 67.2 ft Wing area: 14.27 sq.m / 153.6 sq.ft Aspect ratio: 29.5 Airfoil: Wortmann FX 67-K-150 root Empty Weight: 362 kg / 798 lb Payload: 287 kg / 632 lb Gross Weight: 649 kg / 1430 lb Wing Load: 45.6 kg/sq.m / 9.28 lb/sq.ft Water Ballast: 191 kg / 420 lb L/DMax: 48 90 kph / 49 kt / 56 mph MinSink: 0.46 m/s / 1.5 fps / 0.89 kt Seats: 1 No. Built: 60
Jantar 2B Wing span: 20.15 m / 66 ft l/4 in Length: 7.11 m / 23 ft 4 in Height: 1.56 m / 5 ft 1.5 in Wing area: 14.25 sq.m / 153.4 sq.ft Wing section: Wortmann FX-67-K-170/150 Aspect ratio: 29.2 Empty weight: 355 kg / 783 lb Max weight: 645 kg / 1,422 lb Water ballast: 170 kg / 375 lb Max wing loading: 45.3 kg/sq.m / 9.28 lb/sq.ft Max speed: 151 kt / 280 km/h Stalling speed: 35 kt / 65 km/h Min sinking: 0.45 m/sec / 1.48 ft/sec at 40.5 kt / 75 km/h Max rough air speed: 108 kt / 200 km/h Best glide ratio: 48 at 57 kt / 105 km/h
All Aero 