The LF-107 Luňák ( en, Kite) is a Czech aerobatic glider designed by

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

-based company Rudý Letov in the late 1940s. The design was developed within a prolific group of aeronautical engineers and sailplane pilots, including K. Dlouhý (later author of

LET L-13 Blaník The L-13 Blaník is a two-seater trainer Glider (sailplane), glider produced by Let Kunovice since 1956. It is the most numerous and widely used glider in the world. In United States Air Force Academy service, it is designated TG-10C and was used ...

), J. Matejček, and B. Boček, led by chief designer Vladimír Štros.

Design and development

The first flight of the prototype took place on June 25, 1948, and a second prototype flew in July. The prototype participated later in the same year in aerobatic competition in

Grenchen Grenchen (french: Granges) is a municipality in the district of Lebern in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. It is located at the foot of the Jura mountains between Solothurn and Biel/Bienne, approximately north of Bern. With over 16,000 i ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, and in Ziar,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

in 1949, where its good aerobatic and gliding characteristics drew considerable attention. Unfortunately, serial production was disrupted by geopolitical developments, as the factory was charged with production of

MiG-15 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (russian: Микоя́н и Гуре́вич МиГ-15; USAF/DoD designation: Type 14; NATO reporting name: Fagot) is a jet fighter aircraft developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich for the Soviet Union. The MiG-15 was one of ...

MiG-19 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-19; NATO reporting name: Farmer) is a Soviet second generation, single-seat, twinjet fighter aircraft, the world's first mass-produced supersonic aircraft. It was the ...

, MiG-21F aircraft, and access to Western civil export markets were progressively hampered by the emergence of the

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its s ...

. Therefore, only 75 examples of the Luňák were produced. In 1950, a variant with simpler construction and a revised cockpit, among other changes, was developed. This LF-107 Luňák of wooden construction designated Letov VT-7 under the military training system was instrumental in the development of gliding and aerobatics in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. The LF-107 was also used for aerobatic training in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

and Poland.

XLF-207 Laminar

The Letov XLF-207 Laminar, a derivative of the Luňák, was the first glider in the world with a laminar flow wing. Its maiden flight took place in Praha Letnany in August 1951. Research into laminar flow wings was carried out by the XLF-207 Laminar, an LF-107 fitted with laminar flow wings. Presently there are only nine airworthy Luňáks, two of which are in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. A Luňák is displayed in the American Museum of Flight.

Variants

;LF-107 Luňák :The initial production version of this aerobatic glider, 75 built. ;VT-7 :Simpler construction with a revised cockpit for use by the Czech military. ;XLF-207 Laminar :The Letov XLF-207 Laminar was the first glider in the world with a laminar flow wing. Its maiden flight took place in Praha Letnany in August 1951.

Specifications (LF-107 Luňák)

References

External links

German site dedicated to the Luňák

Museum of Flight

Flying revue – LF 107 Luňák History (Czech)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Letov LF-107 Lunak 1940s Czechoslovakian sailplanes LF-107 Mid-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1948