The Zlín XIII was a fast single or two seat aircraft, designed and built in

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

in the late 1930s. Its development was ended by the disruption of Czechoslovakia in the approach to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Design and development

The Zlín XIII was a very aerodynamically clean, low-powered, all wood

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 con ...

with a one-piece, low set, tapered wing equipped with

flap Flap may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Flap'' (film), a 1970 American film * Flap, a boss character in the arcade game ''Gaiapolis'' * Flap, a minor character in the film '' Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland'' Biology and he ...

s. It was powered by a

Walter Minor The Walter Minor is a family of four- and six-cylinder inverted inline air-cooled engines, developed under auspices of ing. Šimůnek and used on light aircraft. First produced in 1929, the Minor engines' family has an advanced design for the p ...

four cylinder inverted engine, driving a two blade propeller and with a fixed, faired tailwheel undercarriage. The enclosed cockpit placed the pilot well behind the wing

trailing edge The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge meets.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 521. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 199 ...

with a passenger seat ahead of him; a change of

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an ...

to a shorter version, together with a forward fairing, removed the forward seat. This versatility was intended to allow the type XIII to operate as either a high speed executive transport or as a single seat competition aircraft. The Zlín XIII was displayed as a two seater at the 10th

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

Aero Show in July 1937, having made its first flight earlier in the year. It was entered into the French '' Circuit de l'Est'' race, but arrived late too late to compete. The

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

annexation of the Sudetenland in 1938, and the subsequent fragmentation of Czechoslovakia ended development and prevented production, so only the prototype was built.

Aircraft on display

National Technical Museum (Prague) The National Technical Museum ( cs, Národní technické muzeum) (NTM) in Prague is the largest institution dedicated to preserving information and artifacts related to the history of technology in the Czech Republic. The museum has large exhibi ...

;''OK-TBZ'', the sole Zlín XIII, in single seat form. Zlín XIII - NTM Praha

Specifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zlin XIII 1930s Czechoslovakian sport aircraft

XIII XIII may refer to: * 13 (number) or XIII in Roman numerals * 13th century in Roman numerals * XIII (comics), ''XIII'' (comics), a Belgian comic book series by Jean Van Hamme and William Vance ** XIII (2003 video game), ''XIII'' (2003 video game), a ...

Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1937