The Zuch was a Polish

aerobatics Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gl ...

and

trainer aircraft A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characteristic ...

, built in 1948 in the LWD bureau and produced in a small series.

Design and development

The aircraft was a development of a military and civilian trainer plane LWD Junak-1, meant as a civilian aerobatics and trainer plane for the

Polish Aero Club The Polish Aero Club (''Aeroklub Polski'', AP) is the Polish central association of persons practising air sports or recreational flying. It was founded in 1921 and is a member of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. It has a headquarte ...

. It was designed in the ''

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 ...

'' (LWD - Aircraft Experimental Workshops), a main 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 ...

. The design was similar to Junak-1, the main difference was en engine. Unlike Junak, its fixed

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for taxiing, takeoff or landing. For aircraft, it is generally needed for all three of these. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, s ...

, in massive covers, was lacking struts. It was also fitted with split flaps and had slightly enlarged rudder (similar improvements were later adapted in Junak-2).

Description

Mixed construction (steel and wood) low-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 wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

, conventional in layout. Fuselage of a steel frame, covered with canvas, in front with metal sheet. Two-spar wings of wooden construction and trapezoid shape, canvas and plywood covered, fitted with split flaps. Cockpit with two seats in tandem, under a multi-part closed

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 a ...

. Conventional fixed

with a tail wheel, main gear in massive covers. Engine in front: Zuch-1: 6-cylinder inline engine

Walter Minor 6-III 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 ...

(118 kW / 160 hp), Zuch-2: 7-cylinder radial engine

Bramo Sh 14 The Siemens-Halske Sh 14 was a seven-cylinder air-cooled radial engine for aircraft produced in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s. First run in 1928, it was rated at 93 kW (125 hp). It was briefly distributed in the United States by Ryan A ...

(118 kW / 160 hp) with a ring cover with individual cowls for cylinders. Two-blade wooden propeller. The first variant Zuch-1 was powered by the Czechoslovak 160 hp

inline engine in a long, slant nose. The prototype flew first on September 1, 1948. The design was quite successful and fit to aerobatics, but it did not enter production because of decision not to produce Walter Minor engines in Poland. The prototype served in aero clubs from 1950 until end of

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

, with markings SP-BAD. The second prototype Zuch-2 was fitted with a radial engine

. It was flown on April 1,

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

and carried markings SP-BAG. Because of increased drag, maximum speed was lower - 222 km/h comparing to 244 km/h of Zuch-1. Because there were several Sh 14 engines available, left in the country by retreating Germans, the LWD next built a short series of 5 Zuch-2s in 1950. They carried markings SP-BAL - SP-BAP and served in aero clubs until 1955, except SP-BAM, which served until

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

Operators

; *

Aeroklub Polski The Polish Aero Club (''Aeroklub Polski'', AP) is the Polish central association of persons practising air sports or recreational flying. It was founded in 1921 and is a member of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. It has a headquarter ...

Survivors

;Zuch-1 (SP-BAD) :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 ...

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

(damaged and disassembled). ;Zuch-2 (SP-BAM) :Preserved in the

(disassembled). ;Zuch-2 (SP-BAO) :Preserved in the

(incomplete and disassembled).

Specifications (Zuch 2)

References

*Kempski, Benedykt, ''Samolot szkolno-treningowy Junak'', Typy Broni i Uzbrojenia #110, Wydawnictwo MON, Warsaw 1986, *

External links

Photos at Ugolok Neba site
{{LWD aircraft Zuch 1940s Polish civil trainer aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft