The LWD Żuraw was a Polish utility and
liaison aircraft
A liaison aircraft (also called an army cooperation aircraft) is a small, usually unarmed aircraft primarily used by military forces for artillery observation or transporting commanders and messages.
Operation
The concept developed before Worl ...
prototype of
1951
Events
January
* January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950).
* January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...
, a high-wing monoplane with single engine, that did not enter production. The name means ''
crane''.
Design and development
The aircraft was designed in 1949 by the LWD (''
Lotnicze Warsztaty Doświadczalne
''Lotnicze Warsztaty Doświadczalne'' (LWD) was the Polish aerospace manufacturer and construction bureau, located in Łódź, active between 1945 and 1950. The name meant Aircraft Experimental Workshops. It was the first Polish post-war aerosp ...
– Aircraft'' Experimental Workshops) as a utility and liaison aircraft for the
Polish Air Force
The Polish Air Force () is the aerial warfare Military branch, 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 26,000 military personnel an ...
. The chief designer was
Tadeusz Sołtyk
Tadeusz Sołtyk (born 30 August 1909 in Radom, died 14 July 2004 in Warsaw) was a Polish aircraft designer and aerospace engineer, most famous as the creator of the PZL TS-11 Iskra
After graduating from the Mechanical Department of the Warsaw Un ...
. It was the last LWD design. A prototype first flew on 16 May 1951 (pilot Antoni Szymański). Because of a shortage of more powerful engines, it was fitted with the only available license-built Soviet radial
Shvetsov M-11
The Shvetsov M-11 is a five-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, radial aircraft engine produced in the Soviet Union between 1923 and 1952.Gunston 1989, p.158.
Design and development
The Shvetsov M-11 was designed under a 1923 competition in the S ...
FR (118 kW, 160 hp). In addition to increased airframe weight (it was 160 kg heavier, than expected), the engine appeared too weak.
To obtain
STOL
A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft that can takeoff/land on short runways. Many STOL-designed aircraft can operate on airstrips with harsh conditions (such as high altitude or ice). STOL aircraft, including tho ...
capabilities, the wings had slats and flaps. The wings were thinner near the canopy to obtain a good view, and they were slightly swept forward. Despite advantages, like short takeoff and landing and low stall speed, the performance was poor and the plane was not ordered for production. It was considered to use more powerful WN-3 or
Ivchenko AI-14
The Ivchenko AI-14 is a nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial engine, radial piston engine designed in the Soviet Union to power aircraft.
A variant known as the M462 was produced under Licensed production, license by Avia Motors, Avia.
Variants
;AI ...
engines, but the design was abandoned, because Poland had bought a license to produce the
Yakovlev Yak-12
The Yakovlev Yak-12 (, also transcribed as Jak-12, NATO reporting name: "Creek") is a light multirole STOL aircraft used by the Soviet Air Forces, Soviet civilian aviation and other countries from 1947 onwards.
Design and development
The Yak- ...
M.
An unusual feature was the triple tail, with two small vertical stabilizers in addition to a main central one. It was meant to improve aircraft stability at high angles of attack.
Usage
The prototype was painted in Polish Air Force colours and markings, but was not used by the Polish Air Force. In 1951, it was passed to the Aviation Institute (''Instytut Lotnictwa'') to obtain certification of approval, and next it was used there for a couple of years. In 1952, it was given a civilian registration, SP-GLB. The prototype was withdrawn from use in 1960 and in 1963 given to the
Polish Aviation Museum
The Polish Aviation Museum () is a large museum of historic aircraft and aircraft engines in Kraków, Poland. It is located at the site of the no-longer functional Kraków-Rakowice-Czyżyny Airport. This airfield, established by Austr ...
in Kraków, where it remains in a damaged condition.
Specifications
See also
References
* Bridgman, Leonard. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1956–57'', New York: The McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1956.
* Krzyżan, Marian: ''Samoloty w muzeach polskich'', Warsaw, 1983, .
Żuraw at Poser site (specification)
{{DEFAULTSORT:LWD Zuraw
Zuraw
1950s Polish military utility aircraft
1950s Polish civil utility aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft
High-wing aircraft