PZL.26 was a Polish sports plane built in 1934 in the

PZL PZL (''Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze'' - State Aviation Works) was the main Polish aerospace manufacturer of the interwar period, and a brand of their aircraft. Based in Warsaw between 1928 and 1939, PZL introduced a variety of well-regarded air ...

works. Ordered by the Ministry of Defence, it was specifically designed for the upcoming

Challenge 1934 The Challenge 1934 was the fourth and last FAI International Tourist Plane Contest (french: Challenge International de Tourisme), that took place between August 28 and September 16, 1934, in Warsaw, Poland. The four Challenges, from 1929 to 1934, w ...

International Touring Aircraft Contest.

Design and development

The PZL.26 was a development of the

PZL.19 PZL.19 was a Polish sports aircraft built in 1932 in the PZL works. Ordered by the Ministry of Communications, it was specifically designed for the upcoming Challenge 1932 contest held that year in Germany. Development The PZL.19 was designed by ...

, that was built for previous

Challenge 1932 The Challenge 1932 was the third FAI International Tourist Plane Competition (french: Challenge International de Tourisme), that took place between 12 and August 28, 1932 in Berlin, Germany. The four Challenges, from 1929 to 1934, were major aviat ...

contest. Like its predecessor, it was designed by Jerzy Dąbrowski and Franciszek Misztal in 1933. The plane was an all-metal cantilever low-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 confi ...

with a fixed landing gear and a closed canopy. It retained wings and tail of the PZL.19, with minor changes. A fuselage, wings and landing gear were more streamlined and strengthened. The main change was a stronger engine, a US-made 265 hp Menasco Buccaneer B-6S3 engine. The engine choice appeared to be a failure, though. Five aircraft were built in 1934 and one prototype for static trials. They carried registration markings: SP-PZL to PZP.

Operational history

All five PZL.26s took part in the

Challenge Challenge may refer to: * Voter challenging or caging, a method of challenging the registration status of voters * Euphemism for disability * Peremptory challenge, a dismissal of potential jurors from jury duty Places Geography *Challenge, C ...

from August 28 to September 16, 1934. A 9538 km long rally over Europe appeared too difficult for engines, and three aircraft failed to finish the rally due to engine breakdowns (pilots: Szczepan Grzeszczyk, Andrzej Włodarkiewicz and Jan Balcer). Piotr Dudziński (SP-PZL) took the 11th place and Ignacy Giedgowd (SP-PZM) the 17th place (by coincidence, these results were similar to those of PZL.19s, two years earlier). Giedgowd's engine failed during a maximum speed trial, though. It is noteworthy, that they had the 2nd and 4th results of average speed in the rally - 211 and 213 km/h. In Autumn 1934, the PZL.26 SP-PZM was presented at the

Paris Air Show The Paris Air Show (french: Salon international de l'aéronautique et de l'espace de Paris-Le Bourget, Salon du Bourget) is a trade fair and air show held in odd years at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in north Paris, France. Organized by the French ...

. Because of unreliable engines and quite big fuel consumption resulting from their high power output, most PZL.26s were not used in Polish sports aviation much after the Challenge. SP-PZL, -PZM, -PZN and - PZP were removed from the registry on July 1,

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

. The SP-PZO was used until the war in

1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...

by the Pomeranian

Aeroclub A flying club or aero club is a not-for-profit, member-run organization that provides its members with affordable access to aircraft. Many clubs also provide flight training, flight planning facilities, pilot supplies and associated services, as ...

Toruń )'' , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_flag = POL Toruń flag.svg , image_shield = POL Toruń COA.svg , nickname = City of Angels, Gingerbread city, Copernicus Town , pushpin_map = Kuyavian-Pom ...

. Possibly also the other one was used in this Aeroclub. In 1939 Jerzy Dąbrowski made a preliminary design of a fast fighter plane PZL.55, being a far development of the PZL.26's construction, powered by Hispano-Suiza 1100 hp engine, but it was not realized due to World War II.

Description

Metal construction low-wing

, conventional in layout.

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 aircraft t ...

of a steel frame covered with

duralumin Duralumin (also called duraluminum, duraluminium, duralum, dural(l)ium, or dural) is a trade name for one of the earliest types of age-hardenable aluminium alloys. The term is a combination of '' Dürener'' and ''aluminium''. Its use as a tra ...

in front and canvas in the rear. Trapezoid three-part wing with elliptical ends, covered with duralumin. Wings were fitted with automatic

slats Super Low Altitude Test Satellite (SLATS) or Tsubame was a JAXA satellite intended to demonstrate operations in very low Earth orbit (VLEO, below 200 km), using ion engines to counteract aerodynamic drag from the Earth's atmosphere which i ...

and split flaps. Wings were folding rearwards. Cab had three seats in tandem, under a common multi-part canopy, with double controls for the first two crewmen. Fixed

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...

with a rear skid, main wheels in massive aerodynamical covers. Two-blade metal propeller. Fuel tanks in wings and smaller one in the fuselage (180 L). Cruise fuel consumption 60 L/h.

Specifications

References

*Andrzej Glass: ''Polskie konstrukcje lotnicze 1893-1939'' ("Polish aviation designs 1893-1939"), WKiŁ, Warsaw 1977 (Polish language, no ISBN) {{PZL aircraft

PZL.26 PZL.26 was a Polish sports plane built in 1934 in the PZL works. Ordered by the Ministry of Defence, it was specifically designed for the upcoming Challenge 1934 International Touring Aircraft Contest. Design and development The PZL.26 was a de ...

Low-wing aircraft PZL aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1934

Design and development

Operational history

Description

Specifications

See also

References