The L-40 Meta Sokol was a
Czechoslovakian sports and touring four-seat single-engine low-wing aircraft of the late 1950s.
Development
A predecessor of the L-40 was a sports and touring plane
M-1 Sokol of wooden construction. Next there was a sports plane with
V-tail LD-40, designed by Zdenek Rublič. Its prototype XLD-40 was flown on 30 July
1950
Events January
* January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed.
* January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...
, however, it did not meet required performance and was abandoned. In 1954 the design of a further improved variant, the LD-40 started again, with the
tail changed to a conventional one. The plane had a number of shortcomings, and further work continued. Eventually the aircraft was redesigned as a four-seater touring aircraft, under the designation L-40 Meta Sokol.
The prototype of the L-40, the XL-40, flew first on 29 March 1956. Another prototype flew in August 1956, introducing some simplification of construction. In
1957
1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...
the aircraft entered production, and by
1959
Events January
* January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance.
* January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...
, 106 were built.
[ The first series of 10 aircraft had 77 kW (103 hp) ]Walter Minor III-4
Walter may refer to:
People
* Walter (name), both a surname and a given name
* Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968)
* Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 1 ...
engine, with the remainder powered by more powerful (103 kW (138 hp)) Walter M-332
Walter may refer to:
People
* Walter (name), both a surname and a given name
* Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968)
* Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 1 ...
engines. Four persons sat in two rows, with dual controls. An unusual feature is the reversed tricycle gear, with main gear near the wing's leading edge and relatively big rear wheel near the wing's rear edge, which resulted in the fuselage being almost horizontal on the ground.
Use
The primary user was the Czechoslovak civilian aviation. Over half of production was exported to 16 countries, among others to Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland and Australia. Several FAI world records were set on the L-40.
Description
The L-40 Meta Sokol is a single-engine low-wing cantilever monoplane of metal construction. It features a fuselage built of a frame in the front part, of semi- monocoque in rear part, and is duralumin covered. Additionally, it features a duralumin covered trapezoid three-part wing, fitted with split flaps. It has a conventional tail, with its steering surfaces covered with canvas. The tail fin is high and trapezoidal. The plane has four seats in two rows, with twin controls in front. All are placed under a slim, partly glazed, rearwards-sliding canopy. At the rear, there is some luggage space. It has an inline engine in front, with a two-blade V-410 tractor propeller of a variable pitch. An unusual feature is its retractable reversed tricycle gear. The main gear's wheels are only half hidden in wings, making emergency landings safer. The aircraft's fuel tanks are in the wings, and small, teardrop-shaped tanks could be fitted to the wingtips.
Specifications
See also
References
Further reading
*
External links
Photos at Airliners.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orlican L-40 Meta Sokol
1950s Czechoslovakian civil utility aircraft
Low-wing aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1956