The PZL P.6 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

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.

Design and development

The history of PZL P.6 started in 1928, when a talented designer, Zygmunt Puławski designed an all-metal metal-covered monoplane fighter

PZL P.1 The PZL P.1 was a Polish fighter, designed by the engineer Zygmunt Puławski, manufactured by the PZL state-owned factory. It remained a prototype, but it was the first of the Polish PZL gull wing fighter series, leading to the PZL P.7, PZL P.11 a ...

. It introduced a high

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 ...

, giving a pilot an optimal view. The P.1 was powered with an inline engine, and developed a speed of 302 km/h, but remained a prototype, because it was decided, that a 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 ...

should 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 ...

, licence produced in Poland. Therefore, the next model PZL P.6, was powered with the

Bristol Jupiter The Bristol Jupiter was a British nine-cylinder single-row piston radial engine built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. Originally designed late in World War I and known as the Cosmos Jupiter, a lengthy series of upgrades and developments turn ...

VI FH radial engine. The PZL P.6 was flown for the first time in August 1930 with test pilot

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 ...

at the controls. It had a very similar wing to the P.1, but the fuselage was completely redesigned with a modern semi-

monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...

configuration introduced that was oval in cross-section, as well, the tail was also changed. As a result of the modifications, the aircraft was over 200 kg lighter.

Technical description

The PZL P.6 was an all-metal

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, 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 ...

. The fuselage was framed in a front section and semi-monocoque in mid and tail sections with an oval cross-section. The two-spar wing of trapezoid shape, thinner by the fuselage, covered with a rimmed Wibault type duralumin sheet, was supported by two struts on either side. The pilot's cockpit was open, with a windshield. The

VI FH radial engine mounted in front was fitted with a

Townend ring A Townend ring is a narrow- chord cowling ring fitted around the cylinders of an aircraft radial engine to reduce drag and improve cooling. Development The Townend ring was the invention of Dr. Hubert Townend of the British National Physica ...

and used a two-blade propeller. The 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 a rear skid was mainly conventional and typical of the period. An unusual feature was a fuselage fuel tank that could be dropped in case of a fire emergency.

Testing and evaluation

The P.6, just like the P.1, garnered a great deal of interest worldwide. Their wing design was called the "Polish wing" or "Puławski wing". During a presentation 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 ...

in Le Bourget in December 1931, the aviation press, such as ''L'Air'', ''The Aeroplane'', ''

Flight Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...

'' and '' Die Luftwacht'' acknowledged the P.6 as one of the world's top fighter designs. Significantly, the P.6 prototype, piloted by Bolesław Orliński, won the American

National Air Races The National Air Races (also known as Pulitzer Trophy Races) are a series of pylon and cross-country races that have taken place in the United States since 1920. The science of aviation, and the speed and reliability of aircraft and engines grew ...

in 29 August-7 September 1931. The PZL P.6 did not enter production, because at the same time the next improved variant, 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 ...

was being developed. The first P.7 prototype was basically the P.6 with a more powerful Bristol Jupiter VII F engine. With the provision of a supercharger, it achieved better performance at higher altitudes. The P.6 prototype crashed on 11 October 1931 near

Częstochowa Częstochowa ( , ; german: Tschenstochau, Czenstochau; la, Czanstochova) is a city in southern Poland on the Warta River with 214,342 inhabitants, making it the thirteenth-largest city in Poland. It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship (admin ...

due of a propeller breaking apart, resulting in the engine tearing apart. Pilot, Orliński, bailed out successfully.

Variants

* P.6/I : First prototype, later became P.7 prototype.

Operators

; *

Specifications (P.6/I)

References

External links

Photos and drawings at Ugolok NebaPhoto at Samoloty 1,5
{{PZL aircraft 1930s Polish fighter aircraft PZL aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Gull-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1930