The SZD-C Żuraw ('' Szybowcowy Zakład Doświadczalny'' - Glider Experimental Works), also designated as IS-C is a two-seat training and aerobatic

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 ...

, 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 ...

from 1952, a copy of the German

DFS Kranich The DFS Kranich is a type of German Glider (sailplane), glider. It was developed by Hans Jacobs for the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS). History Series production of the Kranich (Crane) took place in the aircraft division of Ka ...

II.

Development

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

destroyed Polish pre-war gliders, but after the war, Poland was left in the possession of incomplete drawings and documentation for the

II, as well as gliders left behind by the retreating German forces. To provide the Polish Aero Club with a viable two-seat trainer, the SZD-C Żuraw II was developed from the Hans Jacobs-designed DFS Kranich II, adapted for Polish production by J. Niespał and A. Kokot. The name ''żuraw'' was a translation of ''Kranich'' and means '' crane''. The Kranich was one of the best two-seater pre-war gliders, used to set many records. The first flight of the Żuraw took place on 22 April 1952.IS-C (DZD-C) Żuraw
at the Polish Aviation Museum In 1952-1953, 51 were manufactured in ZSLS 4 (''Zakłady Sprzętu Lotnictwa Sportowego'' - Sports Aviation Equipment Works) in Gdańsk-Wrzeszcz (according to other sources, 54 in Gdańsk, Poznań and Jeżów, one of which was exported to Austria.Babiejczuk, Janusz and Grzegorzewski, Jerzy. ''Polski Przemysł Lotniczy 1945-1973'' (in Polish). Warsaw: Wydawnictwo MON, 1974. No ISBN, p. 119) Construction was entirely of wood with fabric covering on the wings aft of the mainspar. The pilot and instructor sat in tandem, with the student forward of the wings and the instructor immediately aft of the mainspar in the wing centre-section. The seating arrangement allowed the aircraft to be flown with one or two pilots without the need for ballast to adjust the centre of gravity. A single mainwheel with nose and tailskids comprised the undercarriage, with the aircraft sitting nose down on the nose skid with the front cockpit occupied. Large DFS style airbrakes extended from upper and lower wing surfaces aft of the mainspars.

Operational history

The Żuraw gliders were used in regional aero clubs of the Polish Aero Club for training and sports flying until the 1960s. Two are preserved in 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 (SP-1213 and SP-1295).

Specifications (SZD-C Żuraw II)

References

*Taylor, J. H. (ed) (1989) ''Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation''. Studio Editions: London. p. 29 *Simons, Martin. Sailplanes 1945-1965 2nd revised edition. EQIP Werbung und Verlag G.m.b.H.. Königswinter. 2006.

External links

*http://www.airliners.net/photo/IS-C-Zuraw/1161493/M/ *http://www.piotrp.de/SZYBOWCE/pszdc.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:SZD-C Zuraw 1950s Polish sailplanes SZD aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1952

Development

Operational history

Specifications (SZD-C Żuraw II)

See also

References

External links