The 1966 PIK-17a Tumppi (‘Shorty’) was a single-seat shoulder-wing sailplane of wooden construction. With a Wortmann luminaire wing profile, the max speed was 235 km/h.

The 1968 PIK-17b Tintti (Thermal Updraught) was of GRP construction.

The PIK-16C Vasama (or Arrow) single-seat Standard Class sailplane was designed by Tuomo Tervo, Jorma Jalkanen and Kurt Hedstrom. The prototype first flew on 1 June 1961 and had a ‘butterfly’ V-tail; the PIK-16A and PIK-16B were followed by the major production version the PIK-16C, which has a conventional tail unit instead of the earlier V-tail, and several other improvements, such as a sandwich-type construction for the wing leading edge. In 1963 the PIK-16C was awarded the OSTIV prize for the best Standard Class sailplane, and at that year’s World Gliding Championships held at Junin, Argentina, a PIK-16C was flown into third place in the Standard Class by Juhani Horma of Finland; the type also set up several Finnish records.

The PIK-16C was put into production by K. K.Lehtovaara O/Y of Hameenlinna and a total of 56 of all variants were built. The Vasama is of all-wood construction, the cantilever shoulder wings being built of pine and birch wood and having an exceptionally low (for a sailplane) thickness/chord ratio of 14% at the root to give a good optimum glide angle. The shaped box spar of birch plywood forms 40% of the chord and takes the bending and torsion loads. Aft of the spar the top surfaces are plywood-covered and the under surfaces fabric-covered, and there are spoilers in the top and bottom wing surfaces. The plain ailerons are of ply-covered wooden construction, and all the Vasama’s surface areas are highly polished to help give it a higher performance. The monocoque fuselage is of plywood construction with a glassfibre nose-cap, and the pilot sits in a semi-reclining seat under a removable blown Perspex canopy that extends some way back past the wing leading edge. Landing gear consists of a non-retractable monowheel with a brake, and a skid under the nose section. The tail unit is also of wood, with a trim tab in the port elevator.

Gallery

PIK-16C
Span: 15.0 m / 49 ft 2.5 in
Length: 5.97 m / 19 ft 7 in
Height: 1.45m / 4ft 9 in
Wing area: 11.7 sq.m / 125.9 sq.ft
Aspect ratio: 19.2
Wing section: Wortmann FX-05-188/NACA 682615
Empty weight: 190 kg / 419 lb
Max weight: 300 kg / 661 lb
Water ballast: None
Max speed: 155 mph / 135 kt / 250 km/h (in smooth air)
Max rough air speed: 92 kt / 170 km/h
Stalling speed: 33.5 kt / 62 km/h
Min sinking speed: 0.59 m/sec / 1.94 ft/sec at 45.5 mph / 39.5 kt / 73 km/h
Best glide ratio: 34:1 at 53 mph / 46 kt / 85 km/h

Designed by Tuomo Tervo, Jorma Jalkanen and Kurt Hedstrom, the all-wood Pik-14 was first flown 1961, the Vasama was designed to the then Standard rules with fixed gear and top and bottom surface airbrakes. It won the 1963 OSTIC prize at the World Championship at Junin, Argentina, and placed third in its class at the contest.
56 were built.

Wing span: 15m / 49.2ft
Wing area: 11.71sq.m / 126sq.ft
Aspect ratio: 19.2
Empty Weight: 204kg / 450lb
Payload: 100kg / 220lb
Gross Weight: 304kg / 670lb
Wing Load: 25.96kg/sq.m /5.3lb/sq.ft
L/DMax: 34 97 kph / 52 kt / 60 mph
MinSink: 0.67 m/s / 2.2 fps / 1.30 kt
Seats: 1
Airfoil: Wortmann FX-05-168 (14%), root; NACA 63 (2)-165, tip

Designed by Antti Koskinen, the PIK-13 was a sailplane constructed in Finland by Polyteknikkojen Ilmailukerho to compete in the 1954 World Gliding Championships, held at Camphill Farm, Great Hucklow, UK.

It was a conventional mid-wing design of “workmanlike” construction and underwent five test flights in the course of 1954 before its entry in the competition.

In the championships, the PIK-13 was flown by Antti Koskisen, who was placed 16th with 931 points. The PIK-13 was destroyed in an accident on 26 March 1956 when the control stick broke in flight. Pilot Jorma Jalkanen parachuted to safety.

Wingspan: 17.6 m (57 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 14.6 m2 (157 sq ft)
Aspect ratio: 21
Airfoil: root:Göttingen 549, tip:Göttingen 693
Length: 7.3 m (23 ft 11 in)
Height: 1.55 m (5 ft 1 in)
Empty weight: 197 kg (434 lb)
Gross weight: 300 kg (661 lb)
Never exceed speed: 250 km/h (160 mph, 130 kn)
Auto-tow maximum speed: 115 km/h (71 mph; 62 kn)
Aero-tow maximum speed: 130 km/h (81 mph; 70 kn)
g limits: +8
Maximum glide ratio: 33:1 at 85 km/h (53 mph; 46 kn)
Rate of sink: 0.7 m/s (140 ft/min) at 62 km/h (39 mph; 33 kn)
Wing loading: 20.5 kg/m2 (4.2 lb/sq ft)

PIK-12 is a two seater primary and intermediate training sailplane. It was only two seater in the PIK-range. It started with design competition in the year 1952. The competition was won by Ilkka Lounamaa. The model’s fuselage was designed to resemble PIK-5 and the basic structure of the wings was copied also from PIK-5. Only major difference being forward pointing arrow shape which also caused models nickname ‘Gabriel’. Model collected several nicknames of which most used was ‘bus with 12 seats’. That was caused by an upright sitting position and extremely high fuselage.

The model was built and it was in flight on 27 May 1956. The machine was type-approved in 1959 and three were built between 1957 and 1965 in addition to the prototype.

The machine had many nicknames. One of them was “Gabriel”, which came in the form of a wing that brought to mind an angel (the archangel Gabriel). The nickname “twelve-seater” and its longer form “the world’s only standing two-seater mail glider” were also used.

Designed by Ilkka Lounamaa, the Pik-12 used the same wing shape/profile as the PIK-5c but 1.0 m more span.

With origins coming from World War II, when Finnish forces took control of the Russian occupied city of Äänislinna. There they noticed a glider pilot school with planes called UC-3s’. They were brought back to Finland and used as a display at the Victory fair.

The gliders were then examined and found to be inferior in many ways. One of these UC-3’s was tested and found to be good flier, despite of the inferior build quality and several shortcomings.

This UC-3 inspired the building of a similar type of primary glider. The key idea was to make it extremely simple, light and easy to build in aviation clubs around Finland, the Harakka (“European magpie”). They did not bother to make plans for the prototype, but just sort of design as you build.

When the prototype was built and it was found to be good flier and better than Grunau’s & SG’s, approx 28 were built.

First flown in February 1945, the type was built from plans by Finnish gliding clubs and soon replaced earlier primary gliders such as the Grunau 9, becoming a standard piece of equipment in the clubs. Approximately 50 were built.

In 1946, booming aviation clubs needed more primary gliders, but the Harakka needed further development and some upgrades to strengthen it. The Local FAA ordered this further development from PIK whose key designers were Juhani Heinonen, J. Nurmi and Raimo Häkkinen. The new plane was called Harakka II and given the PIK-serial number of 7. Twenty-seven were built.

In 1948, a single example of a more radically redesigned version designated Harakka III flew. This had the framework that supported the tail replaced by a single boom.

All in all, 57 Harakka’s were built (or started, some were not completed). The last Harakka was a replica built from original plans with designation of H-60.

The Moottori-Harakka was a motor glider development of the PIK-7.

Gallery

Harakka
Span: 10.56 m
Length: 5.60 m
Empty weight: 92kg
Start weight: 182 kg
Normal speed: 45 km / h

PIK-7 Harakka II (H-57)
Wingspan: 10.60 m (34 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 15 sq.m (161 sq.ft)
Length: 5.72 m (18 ft 9 in)
Height: 1.30 m (4 ft 3 in)
Empty weight: 92 kg (200 lb)
Gross weight: 200 kg (440 lb)
Maximum speed: 117 km/h (73 mph)
Maximum glide ratio: 10.5:1
Rate of sink: 1.2 m/s (236 ft/min)
Crew: One pilot

Harakka III

The PIK-5 was a training glider produced in Finland in the 1940s, and 1950s, equipping the country’s gliding clubs with an aircraft greater in performance than primary gliders but less than competition sailplanes. The aircraft had a pod-and-boom configuration, with a high, strut-braced monoplane wing and a cruciform tail carried at the end of a tailboom that extended from a position high on the aft end of the pod.

Designed by Kaarlo J. Temmes, the prototype was built by Polyteknikkojen Ilmailukerho and first flew in September 1946, and testing continued until it was badly damaged in a crash in summer 1948.

Over the subsequent months, the wings were repaired, and a new fuselage constructed to a revised design. This was completed the following winter, and flights recommenced. However, this aircraft, now known as the PIK-5B, was destroyed in a crash in summer 1951.

Again, it was rebuilt with modifications, particularly to the wing structure, resulting in the PIK-5C version. This version first flew on 5 July 1952, and went on to become the pattern for 34 similar machines that would be built over the ensuing years.

Gallery

PIK-5

PIK 5A

PIK-5B

PIK-5C
Wingspan: 12.4 m (40 ft 8 in)
Wing area: 14.7 m2 (158 sq ft)
Airfoil: Göttingen 533
Aspect ratio: 10.4
Length: 6.4 m (21 ft 0 in)
Empty weight: 120 kg (265 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 210 kg (463 lb)
Stall speed: 45 km/h (28 mph, 24 kn)
Never exceed speed: 190 km/h (120 mph, 100 kn)
Rough air speed max: 120 km/h (74.6 mph; 64.8 kn)
Aerotow speed: 20 km/h (12.4 mph; 10.8 kn)
Winch launch speed: 90 km/h (55.9 mph; 48.6 kn)
Terminal velocity: with full air-brakes at max all-up weight 180 km/h (112 mph; 97 kn)
g limits: +4 -2
Maximum glide ratio: 18 at 60 km/h (37.3 mph; 32.4 kn)
Rate of sink: 0.85 m/s (167 ft/min) at 52 km/h (32.3 mph; 28.1 kn)
Wing loading: 14.3 kg/m2 (2.9 lb/sq ft)
Crew: 1

The PIK series of sailplanes designed and produced in Finland gets its name from the Polyteknikkojen llmailukerho, the flying club of the Student Union formed at Helsinki University of Technology in 1931; this series started in 1945 and the PIK-3 singleseater, intended for use by and for construction by gliding clubs, was the first to go into series production. It was followed by the PIK-5A, B and C intermediate training sailplanes and the PIK-7 primary glider which, together with the PIK-3, became standard types in the Finnish clubs, and the first two-seater in the series, the PIK-12 trainer.

The PIK-3 was 1942 designed by Lars H ‘Pappa’ Norrmen and Ilkka Lounama, originaly designated LHN-3, the first prototype making its maiden flight in the summer of 1950, and was of conventional wooden construction.

It was followed by 20 PIK-3A and PIK-3B variants, the 3B, developed by Aush Koskinen, featuring air brakes instead of the 3A’s wing flaps, and both these versions had a 13m (42 ft 7.25 in) span wing.

The PIK-3C Kajava is a high performance version of the 3B incorporating modifications, in particular a wing span increased to 15m (49 ft 2.5 in), to comply with Standard Class rules. The wing structure was completely redesigned and a new cockpit canopy fitted, the fuselage remaining otherwise unchanged from the 3B’s. The prototype PIK-3C first flew on 20 May 1958 and the 3C was modified for series production by Tuomo Tervo at the Suomen llmailuliito (the Finnish Aeronautical Association); 20 had been built by the beginning of 1970. Resembling the EoN Olympia, but with a more angular fin and rudder, the PIK-3C has high-set single-spar wooden wings and an oval-section wooden fuselage with diagonal ply covering, the fin and tailplane also being ply covered.

The PIK-3c combine features of PIK-3b and the PIK-13, and the PIK-3c Kajava (Kittiwake) was a revised high-performance version of the PIK-3Bwith a span of 15 m and a new cockpit canopy.

Gallery

PIK-3C Kajava
Span: 15.0 m / 49 ft 2.5 in
Length: 6.6 m / 21 ft 7.75 in
Height: 1.0 m / 3 ft 3 in
Wing area: 13.1 sq.m / 141 sq ft
Aspect ratio: 17.1
Wing section: Gottingen 549/693
Empty weight: 165 kg / 364 lb
Max weight: 280 kg / 617 lb
Water ballast: None
Max speed: 155 mph / 135 kt / 250 km/h
Stalling speed: 30 kt / 55 km/h
Max rough air speed: 78 kt / 145 km/h
Min sinking speed: 0.61 m/sec / 2 ft/sec at 40.5 mph / 35 kt / 65 km/h
Best glide ratio: 30:1 at 46.5 mph / 40.5 kt / 75 km/h