PZL M-15 Belphegor

PZL M-15 Belphegor
Type:	Agricultural aircraft
Design country:	Poland
Manufacturer:	PZL Mielec
First flight:	January 9, 1974
Commissioning:	1976
Production time:	1976-1981
Number of pieces:	120

The M-15 Belphegor is an agricultural aircraft produced by the Polish manufacturer PZL Mielec .

history

It was in 1971 as a joint project of the RGW developed under the direction of K. Gocyla - mainly to the mass used in the Soviet Union An-2 to replace. The result was the only biplane in aviation history with a jet turbine drive. For attempts to use the engine's exhaust jet to increase the spread of the chemicals, the AI-25 drive was installed and tested on a modified An-2 (“ LaLa-1 ”) from June 1971 in addition to the normal radial engine. The test sample flew for the first time on February 10, 1972. A second experimental aircraft for researching aerodynamic conditions was created using the M-15 fuselage in combination with the wings and landing gear of an An-14 . The first flight of the type designated as LLM-15 took place on May 30, 1973.

The first flight of the M-15 Belphegor ( 1-02 ) took place on January 9, 1974. In 1975 some pre-series samples were created which were tested under working conditions in the Soviet Union. Then some improvements were made to the wings, the engine air intake and the shape of the chemical containers. A dusting, spraying or misting system could be installed to distribute the chemicals. The aircraft was also tested in the GDR at ACZ Damgarten under operating conditions from April 20 to August 3, 1979.

The original plan was to manufacture over 3000 machines of this type. In addition to their main purpose, fire-fighting, cargo and passenger aircraft variants, optionally with float or snow-skid landing gear, were also planned. However, only a small series (120 units) was built from 1976 onwards, as the operational results showed that the machines were extremely uneconomical due to their high fuel consumption (460 kg kerosene per hour). The use remained on a small scale and limited to Soviet agriculture. So the production ended in 1981.

A few copies are now in museums, for example in Monino (near Moscow) and in Krakow .

Technical specifications

PZL M-15 Belphegor
( Polish Aviation Museum in Krakow )

Parameter	Data
crew	1–2 (pilot, mechanic)
length	12.72 m
span	22.33 m above, 16.43 m below
height	5.34 m
Wing area	67.50 m²
Wing loading	maximum 83.7 kp / m²
Empty mass	3090–3130 kg depending on the spray system
Takeoff mass	maximum 5750 kg
Payload	maximum 2540 kg, of which 2200 kg are chemicals
drive	an Ivchenko Al-25 jet engine
power	15 kN
Fuel consumption	500-550 kg / h
Working speed	140-175 km / h
Cruising speed	maximum 200 km / h
Rate of climb	maximum 5 m / s
Range	400 km
Runway	Concrete 260 m, lawn 330 m / concrete 200 m, lawn 190 m
Chemical container volume	2 × 1450 dm³
Working width	depending on the spray system 40–70 m

See also

• List of aircraft types

literature

• Wolfgang Sellenthin: RGW joint development PZL M-15 . In: Fliegerrevue . No. 1 , 1979, p. 20-27 .

Web links

Commons : PZL M-15 Belphegor  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Detlef Billig, Jörg Mückler u. a .: Flying farmers - agricultural flight in the GDR. In: Fliegerrevue extra No. 7, 2004, p. 22