The SZD-8 Jaskółka was a single-seat

glider aircraft A glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that is supported in flight by the dynamic reaction of the air against its lifting surfaces, and whose gliding flight, free flight does not depend on an engine. Most gliders do not have an engine, although mot ...

that was designed and built in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

at ''

Szybowcowy Zakład Doświadczalny Szybowcowy Zakład Doświadczalny (SZD), ''Glider Experimental Works'' was a glider aircraft, glider design and research centre of the Polish aerospace industry after World War II, located in Bielsko-Biała. Through its history it underwent many o ...

'' (Glider Experimental Works) in

Bielsko-Biała Bielsko-Biała (; ; , ; ) is a city in southern Poland, with a population of approximately 166,765 as of December 2022, making it the List of cities and towns in Poland#Largest cities and towns by population, 22nd largest city in Poland, and an a ...

from 1951.

Development

With prototypes rolled out in September and December 1951, the SZD-8 Jaskółka (''Swallow'') was a high-performance glider for its day, introducing several innovations to glider design such as a sliding moulded

Plexiglas Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a synthetic polymer derived from methyl methacrylate. It is a transparent thermoplastic, used as an engineering plastic. PMMA is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass, as well as by the trade names and bra ...

canopy, recessed handle in the rear fuselage for ground handling and a semi-retractable mainwheel. The all-wood wings were covered with plywood and fabric incorporating Fowler flaps on the trailing edges, which could be lowered to 12° or 25°, and Schemp-Hirth style airbrakes aft of the mainspars. Main designer was Tadeusz Kostia. The first prototype was flown on 21 September 1951 (

test pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testin ...

Adam Zientek), but it revealed faults. After reconstruction, with longer fuselage and enlarged rudder (designated SZD-8-2) it appeared successful and was ordered into production, becoming the most popular competition glider in Poland from 1953 to 1957. Many of the 135 production aircraft were exported, garnering at least fifteen world records from May 1954 to May 1960. Licensed production was also carried out in the DDR (''Deutsche Demokratische Republik'' - German Democratic Republic) and the

PRC China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the second-most populous country after India, representing 17.4% of the world population. China spans the e ...

(People's Republic of China). Several variants were produced which introduced various improvements and modifications. Polish gliders

Variants

;SZD-8:two prototypes, first flown 21 September 1951 ;SZD 8-2:first prototype after reconstruction, first flown 16 March 1952 ;SZD-8bis Jaskółka:initial production variant (first flown 24 December 1952; 30 built) ;SZD-8bisE Jaskółka E:improved variant of 1954 (30 built) ;SZD-8bisW Jaskółka W:variant with water ballast (1 built, later converted to SZD-8bisZ) ;SZD-8bisZ Jaskółka Z:one prototype ;SZD-8bisO Jaskółka O:export variant ;SZD 8terZ Jaskółka Z:variant with water ballast, introduced in May 1958 ;SZD 8terZO Jaskółka ZO:variant without water ballast, introduced in 1958 ;Shenyang X-10 Qian Jin: a licensed version of the SZD-8/14 Jaskolka, with modifications, built in the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

at the Shenyang aviation factory.

Specifications (SZD-8bis Jaskółka Z)

Notes

External links

*http://www.piotrp.de/SZYBOWCE/pszd8.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:SZD-8 Jaskolka SZD-08 SZD aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1951

Development

Variants

Specifications (SZD-8bis Jaskółka Z)

See also

Notes

External links