The Pazmany PL-1 Laminar and Pazmany PL-2 are

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

two-seat trainer and personal light aircraft designed by

Ladislao Pazmany Ladislao Pazmany (November 25, 1923 – August 21, 2006) was an aviation pioneer, aeronautical engineer, designer, pilot, teacher, speaker, and author. Born a Hungarian, Pazmany grew up, went to school and worked in his formative years in Arg ...

to be marketed as a

homebuilt aircraft Homebuilt aircraft, also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch", from plans, or from assembly kits.Armstrong, Kenn ...

by his company

Pazmany Aircraft Corporation The Pazmany Aircraft Corporation is an American aircraft design and manufacturing company. The company provides plans for the PL-2, PL-4 and PL-9 for the homebuilder market. History The company was founded as L. Pazmany & Associates at San Diego, ...

. The aircraft was built under license in

Taiwan (Republic of China) Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

as the AIDC PL-1B Cheinshou. It was later followed by an improved version the PL-2. The SLAF Aircraft Engineering Wing developed a modified variant of the PL-2 in 1977, which never saw combat but was used in air shows.

Development

The PL-1 Laminar was the first design by Ladislao Pazmany, it was intended to be marketed for the homebuilt market. The prototype first flew on the 23 March 1962. The PL-1 is a cantilever low-wing monoplane with a fixed tricycle landing gear. It has side-by-side seating for a crew of two and is powered by a 95 hp (71 kW) Continental C-90 piston engine. The Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) acquired plans and built a PL-1 for evaluation with a first flight on 26 October 1968. AIDC then built 58 aircraft designated the PL-1B for the Republic of China Air Force and fitted with a 150 hp (112 kW) Avco Lycoming O-320 engine. Soon after the first flight Pazmany produced an improved design, the PL-2 which had a slight increase in cockpit width and changes to the structure to make it easier for homebuilders. The PL-2 was evaluated by a number of air forces in South East Asia. It was built under license in Indonesia as the LIPNUR LT-200.

Variants

;PL-1 :Original design for home-built light aircraft ;PL-1B :License-built variant by AIDC with a 150hp (112kW) Avco Lycoming O-320 engine, 58 built. Known as the PL-1B Chieh Shou. ;PL-2 :More rounded, wider cockpit, increased wing dihedral.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 114. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X ;PL-2A :Improved model, all metal, two seatsTacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 120. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. ;LT-200 :License-built variant by LIPNUR in Indonesia, 4 were built.

Operators

; * Indonesian Air Force - LT-200 (Licensed-built PL-2) ; * Republic of Vietnam Air Force - One aircraft, no longer in service. Named ''Tien Phong'' "Pioneer" and built under U.S supervision. Plans for additional aircraft were cancelled in 1972 ; * Republic of China Air Force - PL-1, PL-1A, PL-1B * Republic of China Army - PL-1B

Former Operators

; *

Sri Lanka Air Force The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) ( si, ශ්‍රි ලංකා ගුවන් හමුදාව, Śrī Laṃkā guwan hamudāva; ta, இலங்கை விமானப்படை, Ilaṅkai vimāṉappaṭai) is the air arm and the yo ...

- Sri Lankan built PL-2 variants were in operation until the early 1980s.

Specifications (LT-200)

References

* The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985), 1985, Orbis Publishing, Page 2694 {{DEFAULTSORT:Pazmany Pl-1 1960s United States civil utility aircraft

PL-01 The PL-01 was a Polish light tank concept created by OBRUM with support from BAE Systems, based on the Swedish CV90120-T light tank. The concept vehicle was first unveiled at the International Defence Industry Exhibition in Kielce on 2 Septemb ...

AIDC aircraft 1960s United States military trainer aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1962