The Ikarus Kurir ( en, Courier) is a single-engined high-wing
monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
designed in
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
for army liaison and
air ambulance
Air medical services is a comprehensive term covering the use of air transportation, aeroplane or helicopter, to move patients to and from healthcare facilities and accident scenes. Personnel provide comprehensive prehospital and emergency and cri ...
work from small airfields.
Built in large numbers, it served with the
Yugoslav Air Force (JRV) until 1972, when it entered civilian use.
Design and development
The Kurir was built in a new factory at the old Ikarus site in
Zemun, Belgrade, though like all Yugoslav aircraft of the period it was a product of the centralised national design centre.
It is sometimes referred to as the Cijan Kurir after one of its designers.
The Kurir has the high wing and tall undercarriage typical of single-engined
STOL aircraft and is similar in appearance to the
Fieseler Storch
The Fieseler Fi 156 ''Storch'' (, "stork") was a German liaison aircraft built by Fieseler before and during World War II. Production continued in other countries into the 1950s for the private market. It was notable for its excellent short fie ...
. Unlike the Storch, the Kurir has an all-metal, cantilever wing. There are short ailerons outboard, with the rest of the trailing edge filled with electrically operated
Fowler flaps
A flap is a high-lift device used to reduce the stalling speed of an aircraft wing at a given weight. Flaps are usually mounted on the wing trailing edges of a fixed-wing aircraft. Flaps are used to reduce the take-off distance and the landing ...
.
Leading edge slot
A leading-edge slot is a fixed aerodynamic feature of the wing of some aircraft to reduce the stall speed and promote good low-speed handling qualities. A leading-edge slot is a spanwise gap in each wing, allowing air to flow from below the wing ...
s are fitted ahead of the ailerons. The combination of flaps and slots enables the Kurir to reach 15 m (50 ft) altitude in a distance of 220 m (720 ft) and to land from the same height in 100 m (330 ft).
The
fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...
is also all-metal and rectangular in cross section. The tail unit has a metal frame but is
fabric covered. The tall fin carries an inset, tabbed, rudder and is braced to the horizontal tail, which is set on top of the fuselage. The glazed cabin, placed under the wing, normally seats two, but a third seat can be added or both rear seats removed to make room for two stretchers. The Kurir was originally powered by a 155 hp (116 kW) DM-6R six-cylinder inverted air-cooled engine. Geared, this drives a two-bladed constant-speed propeller.
The DM-6R, otherwise known as the Walter/DMB DM-6R was a Yugolav-modified
Walter Minor 6-III. It proved to have vibration problems so later Kurirs were fitted with a
Lycoming O-435-1 engine
and are usually known as Kurir L.
The Kurir has a fixed, tailwheel undercarriage. The two tall, long-stroke, shock-absorbing main legs mounted on the upper fuselage sides just forward of the cabin have supplementary bracing; each carries a wheel fitted with brakes. Alternatively, skis can be fitted.
At least one was configured as a floatplane.
Operational history
About 145 Kurirs were built, serving with the Yugoslav Air Force until 1972.
Many were then released for civilian use, mostly appearing on the Yugoslav register and serving in flying clubs. As of July 2010 one Kurir L was registered in the US, one in Slovenia and one in Croatia.
Variants
* Kurir DM-6R: standard production model with DM-6R engine for Yugoslav Air Force.
* Kurir H: floatplane version.
* Kurir L: second series with Lycoming O-435-1.
Operators
;
*
Yugoslav Air Force
The Air Force and Air Defence ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Ратно ваздухопловство и противваздушна одбрана, Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i protivvazdušna odbrana ; abbr. sh-Cyrl-Latn, label=none, separator=/, РВ и ПВ ...
*
Letalski center Maribor
Letalski center Maribor short LCM (English: Aviation center Maribor) is the oldest and the biggest Slovenian general aviation aero club operating at international Maribor Airport operating with 11 aircraft and 11 gliders. Founded on December 20 ...
Aircraft on display
Two Kurirs, one a Kurir L, are on display in the
Museum of Aviation (Belgrade)
The Aeronautical Museum Belgrade, formerly known as the Yugoslav Aeronautical Museum, is a museum located in Surčin, Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Founded in 1957, the museum is located adjacent to Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. The current f ...
,
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...
.
Another is in the
Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum,
Sinsheim
Sinsheim (, South Franconian: ''Sinse'') is a town in south-western Germany, in the Rhine Neckar Area of the state Baden-Württemberg about south-east of Heidelberg and about north-west of Heilbronn in the district Rhein-Neckar.
Geography
...
, Germany, painted as a Storch.
Specifications (DM-6R)
Notable appearances in media
References
{{Ikarus aircraft
1950s Yugoslav military aircraft
Kurir
''Kurir'' is daily tabloid newspaper published in Belgrade, Serbia.
History
''Kurir'' first issue appeared at the news stands on 6 May 2003. While Kurir's history is relatively short, it is also a checkered one. It goes back to the state of emer ...
High-wing aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft
STOL aircraft
Glider tugs
Aircraft first flown in 1955