PZL P.24

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PZL P-24
The second prototype P.24 / II
Type: Fighter plane
Design country:

Poland 1919Second Polish Republic Poland

Manufacturer:

PZL

First flight:

May 1933

Production time:

1936-1939

The PZL P.24 was a single-engine fighter aircraft built in Poland from the 1930s. It was internationally successful and was exported to Turkey , Bulgaria (12 pieces), Greece and Romania or (40 P.24E) built under license , with the majority of the machines (40 P.24A and 26 P.24C) going to Turkey went.

history

Development work began in February 1932. Zygmunt Puławski's PZL P.11 , the standard fighter aircraft of the Polish Air Force at the time, served as the base . The airframe was taken over from her. Initially, a French Gnome-Rhône 14Kds Mistral Major with 760 hp served as the drive .

The first flight of the prototype P.24 / I took place in May 1933 and almost ended in a catastrophe when the propeller came off the engine and the machine had to make an emergency landing. As a result, the tests were delayed and could only be resumed in October. After defects appeared, some changes were made in the bow area. The engine fairing was lengthened a little and a three- bladed propeller was used instead of the two-bladed propeller .

This second prototype, known as P.24 / II or Super P.24 , was tested in 1934 and in the same year set an FAI speed record of 414 km / h in its class.

The most obvious change in the third machine was a closed pilot cockpit and a 930 hp Gnome-Rhône 14 Kfs engine . The designation was P.24 / III or Super P.24bis . In 1934 the two Super P.24s were presented to the public at the Paris Aviation Salon ; then some orders were placed from abroad.

In Romania, the low - wing aircraft IAR-80 was developed in 1939 based on the P.24 and also built in series. In Greece, the P.24 provided the bulk of the fighter squadrons and was deployed in the Balkan campaign against the German and Italian air forces.

construction

The P.24 was a stripped shoulder- wing aircraft in all-metal construction. The distinctive Puławski wing had two spars in a double-T shape and sheet metal planking. The braced normal tail was also made of metal. The main wheels of the rigid chassis had a streamlined fairing. There was a grinding spur at the stern.

Countries of operation

Technical specifications

The only P.24 still in existence in the Istanbul Aviation Museum
Color scheme of a Greek P. 24
Parameter Data PZL P.24F
crew 1
length 7.60 m
span 10.70 m
height 2.70 m
Wing area 17.90 m²
Empty mass 1322 kg
Takeoff mass 1915 kg
Top speed 430 km / h at an altitude of 4,500 m
Rate of climb 14.7 m / s
Service ceiling 10,500 m
Range Max. 700 km
Engines an air-cooled 14-cylinder double radial engine Gnome-Rhône 14N07 with 723 kW / 970 PS
Armament two 20 mm Oerlikon FF cannons and
two 7.7 mm machine guns (all in the upper wing)

See also

Web links

Commons : PZL P.24  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files