PZL
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PZL (Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze - State Aviation Works) was the Polish aerospace manufacturer, based in Warsaw, functioning in 1928-1939. The abbreviation was thereafter used as an aircraft brand and part of names of several Polish aerospace manufacturers referring to traditions of PZL.
On January 4th 2007 Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (UTX) announced plans to purchase PZL-Mielec. Papers will be signed on January 10th, 2007.
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[edit] PZL (1928-1939)
The PZL - Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze (State Aviation Works) was founded in Warsaw in 1928, basing on the earlier CWL workshops (Centralne Warsztaty Lotnicze - Central Aviation Workshops). The first product was a licence-produced French fighter Wibault 70. Soon, a talented designer Zygmunt Puławski designed a series of high-wing all-metal fighters: PZL P.1, P.6, P.7 and P.11. The last two types were basic fighters of the Polish Air Forces since 1933. The last variant PZL P.24, developed after Puławski's death in an air crash, was exported to 4 countries. Mass-produced were also: light bomber PZL.23 Karaś and modern medium bomber PZL.37 Łoś. The later was one of the best bombers in the world before the Second World War. At that time, PZL also built some sport (PZL.5, PZL.19, PZL.26) and liaison (PZL Ł-2) planes. By 1939 it developed also several prototypes of modern fighters and of a passenger plane (PZL-44). PZL was the biggest Polish pre-war aircraft manufacturer.
Since 1934, the main factory in Warsaw was named PZL WP-1 (Wytwórnia Płatowców 1 - Airframe Works 1) and placed in Okęcie district of Warsaw. A new division PZL WP-2 was built in Mielec in 1938-1939, but the production was only starting there at the outbreak of World War II. An engine factory division, PZL WS-1 in Warsaw-Okęcie (Wytwórnia Silników - Engine Works 1), produced mostly engines on the British Bristol licence, like Bristol Pegasus, Bristol Mercury(it was former Polskie Zakłady Skody - Polish Skoda Works, nationalized and renamed in 1936). In 1937-1939 there was built a new engine division PZL WS-2 in Rzeszów.
[edit] PZL "Warszawa-Okęcie"
During the World War II, the PZL factory in Warsaw was destroyed. After the war it was rebuilt, but the communist government wanted to break all connections with pre-war Poland and the PZL WP-1 factory was renamed to CSS (Centralne Studium Samolotów - Central Aircraft Studies), then WSK-4 in 1950, finally to WSK-Okęcie in 1956 (WSK - Wytwórnia Sprzętu Komunikacyjnego - Communication Equipment Factory). Despite new factory name, aircraft brand PZL was still used in designs' names, starting from PZL-101 Gawron of 1958. The factory developed mainly light sports, trainer and utility aircraft. The most known designs are: utility aircraft PZL-104 Wilga and agricultural aircraft PZL-106 Kruk. After a fall of communist system in 1989, the factory was renamed with its traditional name PZL "Warszawa-Okęcie". In 2001 it was bought by Spanish EADS CASA and since then is known as EADS PZL "Warszawa-Okęcie".
[edit] PZL-Mielec
The former PZL WP2 factory in Mielec became a part of Heinkel works under the German occupation. After the war the factory, named WSK-Mielec, became the biggest Polish post-war aircraft producer. It initially manufactured mostly licensed Soviet planes: transport biplane Antonov An-2, jet fighters: MiG-15 (as Lim-1 and Lim-2) and MiG-17 (as Lim-5 and Lim-6). It produced also an own jet trainer TS-11 Iskra, and a jet agricultural plane M-15 Belphegor. Currently it produces mostly own developments of licensed civil aircraft, best known agricultural M-18 Dromader and light transport PZL M-28 Skytruck/Bryza. In 1998, a state factory WSK-Mielec was changed into a state-owned company Polskie Zakłady Lotnicze Sp.z o.o. (Polish Aviation Works), in short: PZL-Mielec.
On January 4th 2007 Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (UTX) announced plans to purchase PZL-Mielec. Papers will be signed on January 10th, 2007.
[edit] WSK "PZL-Świdnik"
In 1951, a third national aerospace factory WSK-Świdnik was built in Świdnik, and in 1957 it was renamed to WSK "PZL-Świdnik", taking traditions of PZL. Since 1956 it has become one of the world's major helicopter manufacturers, producing helicopters such as the Mil Mi-1 and Mil Mi-2 on a Soviet licence. Świdnik was an exclusive producer of the widely used Mi-2. Since the late 1980s, Świdnik has been producing a Polish-designed helicopter PZL W-3 Sokół. Currently it also produces a light helicopter PZL SW-4 Puszczyk. After 1991, the state factory became a corporation (WSK "PZL-Świdnik" SA). It also produced PW-5 and PW-6 gliders and cooperates widely with other nations' manufacturers, eg. PZL-Świdnik is a main manufacturer of Agusta A109 fuselages.
[edit] PZL-Bielsko
A glider manufacturer SZD (Szybowcowy Zakład Doświadczalny - Glider Experimental Works) created in Bielsko-Biała in 1948, was renamed to PZL-Bielsko in the 1990s. It was the main Polish producer of gliders, exported to many countries. Currently it is a company named Allstar PZL Glider Sp.z o.o.
[edit] WSK "PZL WARSZAWA II"
WSK Warszawa II was created in 1952 in Warsaw as a manufacturer of aircraft parts and military equipment parts. In 1995 it was changed from state factory to a corporation WSK "PZL WARSZAWA II" SA.
[edit] See also
[edit] A list of main PZL designs (a date of first prototype flight /serial production):
| PZL (before 1939) | |
|---|---|
| PZL P.1 | 1-engine, fighter prototype, high-wing, 1929/- |
| PZL Ł-2 | 1-engine, liaison, high-wing, 1929/1930 |
| PZL.5 | 1-engine, sport, biplane, 1930/1931 |
| PZL P.7 | 1-engine, fighter, high-wing, 1930/1932 |
| PZL P.11 | 1-engine, fighter, high-wing, 1931/1934 |
| PZL.19 | 1-engine, sport, low-wing, 1932/- |
| PZL.23 Karaś | 1-engine, light bomber, low-wing, 1934/1936 |
| PZL P.24 | 1-engine, fighter, high-wing, 1933/1936 |
| PZL.26 | 1-engine, sport, low-wing, 1934/- |
| PZL.27 | 3-engine, passenger prototype, high-wing, 1934/- |
| PZL.30 Żubr | 2-engine, medium bomber, high-wing, 1936/1938 |
| PZL.37 Łoś | 2-engine, medium bomber, low-wing, 1936/1938 |
| PZL.38 Wilk | 2-engine, heavy fighter prototype, low-wing, 1938/- |
| PZL.43 Karaś | 1-engine, light bomber, low-wing, developed from PZL.23 |
| PZL.44 Wicher | 2-engine, passenger plane prototype, low-wing, 1938/- |
| PZL.45 Sokół | 1-engine, fighter prototype, low-wing, -/- |
| PZL.46 Sum | 1-engine, light bomber prototype, low-wing, 1938/- |
| PZL.48 Lampart | 2-engine, heavy fighter prototype, low-wing, -/- |
| PZL.49 Miś | 2-engine, medium bomber prototype, low-wing, -/- |
| PZL.50 Jastrząb | 1-engine, fighter prototype, low-wing, 1939/- |
| PZL.54 Ryś | 2-engine, heavy fighter prototype, low-wing, -/- |
| PZL.62 | 1-engine, fighter project, low-wing, -/- |
| CSS -> WSK-Okecie -> PZL "Warszawa-Okecie" | |
| CSS-13 | 1-engine, multirole biplane, 1948 (licence Polikarpov Po-2) |
| LWD Junak | 1-engine, trainer low-wing, 1948/1951 |
| TS-7 Chwat | 1-engine, military trainer low-wing, (development of Junak-2, project, 1952) |
| TS-9 Junak-3 | 1-engine, military trainer low-wing, 1954/1956 |
| Jak-12 | 1-engine, multirole high-wing, 1956 (licence Yakovlev Yak-12) |
| PZL-101 Gawron | 1-engine, multirole (agricultural) high-wing, 1958/1960 |
| PZL-102 Kos | 1-engine, sport low-wing, 1958/1959 |
| PZL-104 Wilga | 1-engine, multirole high-wing, 1963/1964 |
| PZL-105 Flaming | 1-engine, multirole high-wing, 1989/- |
| PZL-106 Kruk | 1-engine, agricultural low-wing, 1973/1977 |
| PZL-110 Koliber | 1-engine, trainer / sport low-wing, 1978 (licence SOCATA Rallye 100ST) |
| PZL-130 Orlik | 1-engine, military trainer low-wing, 1984/1992 |
| WSK-Mielec -> PZL-Mielec | |
| LWD Szpak | 1-engine, sport / tourist low wing, 1945/1948 |
| LWD Żak | 1-engine, trainer / tourist low wing, 1947/1948 |
| TS-8 Bies | 1-engine, military trainer low-wing, 1955/1957 |
| PZL TS-11 Iskra | 1-jet engine, military trainer, mid-wing, 1960/1963 |
| PZL TS-15 Fregata | 2-jet engines, biz-jet, low-wing, project, early 1960s |
| PZL TS-16 Grot | 1 or 2-jet engines, military trainer and light strike-fighter, high-wing, project 1958/1963 |
| An-2 | 1-engine, transport and multirole biplane, 1960 (licence Antonov An-2) |
| Lim-1 | 1-jet engine, fighter, 1953 (licence MiG-15) |
| Lim-2 | 1-jet engine, fighter, 1954 (licence MiG-15bis) |
| Lim-5 | 1-jet engine, fighter, 1956 (licence MiG-17) |
| Lim-6 | 1-jet engine, attack plane, 1961 |
| M-15 Belphegor | 1-jet engine, agricultural biplane, 1973/1976 |
| PZL-Mielec M-18 Dromader | 1-engine, agricultural low-wing, 1976/1978 |
| M-20 Mewa | 2-engine, multirole low-wing, 1979/1989 (licence Piper Seneca) |
| M-21 Dromader Mini | 1-engine, agricultural low-wing, 1987/- |
| M-24 Dromader Super | 1-engine, agricultural low-wing, 1987/- |
| M-25 Dromader Mikro | 1-engine, agricultural low-wing, 1987/- |
| M-26 Iskierka | 1-engine, trainer low-wing, 1986/? |
| PZL M-28 Skytruck / Bryza | 2-turboprop engine, light transport / military high-wing, 1984 (developed Antonov An-28) |
| PZL I-22 Iryda | 2-jet engine, military trainer, high-wing, 1985/1992 (small series built) |
| PZL-230 Skorpion | 2-jet engine, military low-wing fighter-bomber, ?/1994 (abandoned) |
| WSK "PZL Świdnik" -> PZL-Świdnik | |
| PZL SM-1 | light helicopter (3 seats), 1957 (licence Mil Mi-1) |
| PZL SM-2 | light helicopter (1+4 seats), 1962 |
| PZL Mi-2 | helicopter (2+8 seats), 1966 (licence Mil Mi-2) |
| PZL Kania | helicopter (2+8 seats), 1979/1986 |
| PZL W-3 Sokół | helicopter (2+12 seats), 1979/1987 |
| PZL SW-4 Puszczyk | light helicopter (1+4 seats), 1996/2003? |
Timeline of aviation
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Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft
Notable military accidents and incidents · Notable airline accidents and incidents · Famous aviation-related deaths
Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft
