PWS-52
| PWS-52 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Sport plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
July 1930 |
| Commissioning: |
only prototype |
| Production time: |
1929/1930 |
| Number of pieces: |
1 |
The PWS-52 was a single-engine high - wing aircraft built by Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów (PWS) and remained a prototype .
history
The aircraft was manufactured in 1929 by Zbysław Ciołkosz and Antoni Uszacki and the design was based on the de Havilland DH.80 Puss Moth . The aircraft was first flown by Franciszek Rutkowski in Zülz (Poland) in early July 1930 , a few weeks before the 1930 European tour , for which the aircraft was manufactured.
The prototype with the aviation registration number SP-ADD and the competition number O8 took part in Challenge International de Tourisme (European tour) 1930 from July 20th to 31st, flown by Franciszek Rutkowski. After landing in Saint-Inglevert , the aircraft was knocked over by the wind and badly damaged.
After the necessary repairs, the rudder shape was changed. The aircraft later returned to some competitions in Poland, but with limited success. Flown by Józef Lewoniewski, among others, it took 4th place in the 3rd Polish Light Aircraft Competition in September / October 1930. In Lewoniewski the idea came up to fly around the world with the PWS-52. In 1931 the aircraft was equipped with three additional fuel tanks, giving a maximum capacity of 760 liters of fuel and a range of 4000 km. The aircraft was equipped with a radio and a place for a dinghy . The rudder shape changed again, and the de Havilland Gipsy I (85 hp) engine was swapped for a Gipsy III (120 hp). This operation also changed the aircraft nose. The maximum take-off weight increased to 1160 kg with an empty weight of 480 kg.
The modified PWS-52 was ready in April 1931 and Lewoniewski flew it in Poland on August 15, 1931 with a passenger over a distance of 1755 km without a stopover. On September 1, 1931, Lewoniewski flew the plane from Warsaw to Saloniki and back (2700 km). On the way he had to land in Hungary and Greece because of engine damage. Lack of funds and problems with the PWS factory resulted in the plan to fly around the world being abandoned.
In 1937 the aircraft was bought by a private owner of the PWS Aero Club, who expanded the additional fuel tanks and used it mainly for sport aviation. The PWS crashed in 1939 during a training flight.
construction
The PWS-52 was a single-engine, mixed construction that belonged to the high-wing aircraft class . The fuselage consisted of a steel frame and was covered with canvas and planked with aluminum in the engine area. The rectangular, three-part wing with rounded edge arches was provided with plywood in the front part and covered with canvas in the rear part. The wing center section comprised the inner wings and the canopy and was supported with struts towards the fuselage. The outer wings could be folded back together with the V-struts. The aircraft had two seats in an enclosed cockpit. There was even a luggage compartment behind the cockpit, which could be fitted with a third seat. The PWS-52 had a fixed, conventional landing gear. The aircraft used an air-cooled four-cylinder engine ( de Havilland Gipsy I ) and later a de Havilland Gipsy III with 120 hp. Furthermore, it had a two-bladed propeller without adjustment.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 1-2 |
| length | 7.53 m |
| span | 11.52 m |
| height | 2.39 m |
| Wing area | 19.5 m² |
| Wing loading | 33.5 kg / m² |
| Empty mass | 439 kg |
| burden | 216 kg (max. 389 kg) |
| Payload | 655 kg |
| Max. Takeoff weight | 828 kg |
| Engine | 1 × air-cooled 4-cylinder engine de Havilland Gipsy , 95 PS (70 kW) |
| Top speed | 170 km / h |
| Cruising speed | 140 km / h |
| Minimum speed | 73 km / h |
| Rate of climb | 2.6 m / s |
| Range | 480-760 km |
| Summit height | 3200 m |