The PZL P.1 was a Polish fighter, designed by the engineer

Zygmunt Puławski Zygmunt Puławski (October 24, 1901 – March 21, 1931) was a Polish aircraft designer and pilot. He invented a gull-wing aircraft design, also known as "Puławski wing" and designed a series of Polish PZL fighters. He was born in Lublin. In ...

, manufactured by 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 ...

state-owned factory. It remained a prototype, but it was the first of the Polish PZL

gull wing The gull wing is an aircraft wing configuration, known also as ''Pulaski wings'', with a prominent bend in the wing inner section towards the wing root. Its name is derived from the seabirds which it resembles. Numerous aircraft have incorporat ...

fighter series, leading to the

PZL P.7 The PZLP.7 was a Polish gull wing monoplane fighter aircraft designed in the early 1930s at the PZL factory in Warsaw. It was the main fighter of the Polish Air Force between 1933 and 1935. The PZLP.7 was replaced in Polish service by its follow-up ...

PZL P.11 The PZL P.11 was a Polish fighter aircraft, designed and constructed during the early 1930s by Warsaw-based aircraft manufacturer PZL. Possessing an all-metal structure, metal-covering, and high-mounted gull wing, the type held the distinction of ...

and

PZL P.24 The PZL P.24 was a Polish fighter aircraft, designed during the mid-1930s in the PZL factory in Warsaw. It was developed as a dedicated export version of the PZL P.11, a gull wing all-metal fighter designed by Polish aeronautical engineer Zygmun ...

Design and development

Among the first tasks of newly created in 1928

aircraft works was to design a modern fighter for the

Polish Air Force The Polish Air Force ( pl, Siły Powietrzne, , Air Forces) is the aerial warfare branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as ''Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej'' (). In 2014 it consisted of roughly 16,425 mil ...

. As a result, a construction team led by the talented young designer

designed an all-metal, metal-covered monoplane fighter, designated PZL P.1. Puławski included a high

, to give a pilot an optimal view, without an upper wing before his eyes, like in classic

parasol An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally used ...

monoplanes and biplanes of that time. The wing, supported with struts, could be thin in its root part, at joint with a fuselage. Other innovations included a scissors-like fixed

undercarriage Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include: *The landing gear of an aircraft. *The ch ...

, with shock absorbers hidden in the fuselage. The P.1 was powered with a

Hispano-Suiza Hispano-Suiza () is a Spanish automotive–engineering company. It was founded in 1904 by Marc Birkigt and Damian Mateu as an automobile manufacturer and eventually had several factories in Spain and France that produced luxury cars, aircraft en ...

inline engine. The first prototype was flown in August 1929 by

Bolesław Orliński Bolesław Orliński (13 April 1899 – 28 February 1992) was a Polish aviator, military, sports and test pilot. He was born on the family estate in Niwerka, Podolia (now Niverka, Kamianets-Podilskyi Raion, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukraine). During W ...

. In the first flight, the wing leading edge distorted, but Orliński saved the aircraft and possibly the program. In late 1929, after static trials, the prototype was modified and strengthened. In March 1930, the second prototype was flown (P.1/II). It introduced, among other changes, a revised rudder shape, similar to those used on later fighters. The second prototype took part in a fighter contest in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

in June 1930, where it placed 4th out of 7 competitors, but it won in 8 of 15 trials. The P.1 remained a prototype, because it was decided that a fighter for the Polish Air Force would be powered with a

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ca ...

produced in Poland. As a result, the next fighter designs were produced with radial engines, but were still based upon the P.1, starting with the PZL P.6. This decision has since been criticized by some modern authors, as single row radial engines produce more drag, without advantage of more power, and reduced visibility from the cockpit.Krzysztof Cieślak, Wojciech Gawrych, Andrzej Glass: ''Samoloty myśliwskie września 1939'', NOT-Sigma, Warsaw 1987, (in Polish) It was planned in 1929-1930 to build an improved P.1, with the designation PZL P.2, but this was abandoned after building the fuselage. Puławski himself hoped for a second chance to build fighters powered with inline engines, and developed the

PZL P.8 P.Z.L. P.8 was a fighter designed by Ing. Zygmunt Puławski and constructed by P.Z.L. (''Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze'' - National Aviation Establishments) from 1930. Design and development The P.8 was loosely based on the P.1, retaining the sl ...

with an inline in 1931.

Technical description

The PZL P.1 was an all-metal braced 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 confi ...

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 ...

-covered. The fuselage was made of a duralumin frame, rectangular in cross-section. Two-spar wing of trapezoid shape, thinner by the fuselage, covered with a rimmed Wibault type duralumin sheet, supported with two struts on either side. Pilot's cockpit was open, with a windshield. Two fuel tanks in wings (400 L). A fixed

with a rear skid. Inline engine in front, with a water radiator under the fuselage, two-blade propeller.

Operators

; *

Specifications (P.1/II)

References

External links

Photos and drawings at Ugolok Neba
{{PZL aircraft 1920s Polish fighter aircraft Gull-wing aircraft P.1 Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1929