The Valmet PIK-23 Towmaster or Suhinu is a
Finnish two-seater glider-towing/primary trainer aircraft built entirely out of composite materials in the early 1980s.
Design and development
The
Finnish technology students aviation club (PIK) suggested in the 1970s, that a new aircraft should be developed for glider towing. The work focused on the improvement of a previous design, the PIK-19 Muhinu. Later on, the
Helsinki University of Technology
Helsinki University of Technology (TKK; ; , HUT in international usage) was a technical university in Finland. It was located in Otaniemi, Espoo in the Helsinki metropolitan area, and it was one of the three universities from which the modern d ...
and
Valmet
Valmet Oyj, a Finnish company, is a developer and supplier of process technologies, automation systems and services for the pulp, paper, energy industries. Flow control serves a wider base of process industries.
History 1999–2012 Valmet ...
Oy joined the project and the design process started from scratch. The goal was to develop a target/glider tower, which also could be used for basic training. It was given the name "PIK-23 Towmaster".
Only two aircraft were manufactured, one at Valmet and one at the Helsinki University of Technology. The first aircraft, OH-TOW, made its maiden flight on March 22, 1982, flown by Mikko Järvi. The second aircraft, OH-TUG, flew the following year.
Valmet marketed the aircraft intensively, but no orders followed. It was also investigated if the aircraft could be sold in parts, for self-assembly, in order to lower the price. In its intended role as a glider tower, the PIK-23 has been quite successful.
Specifications (PIK-23)
See also
References
;Notes
;Bibliography
*Taylor, John W.R. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1982-83''. London:Jane's Yearbooks, 1982. .
{{Valtion lentokonetehdas aircraft
1980s Finnish civil utility aircraft
Low-wing aircraft
Glider tugs
PIK aircraft
Valmet aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1982
Aircraft with fixed tricycle landing gear
Single-engined piston aircraft