PZL P.7
| PZL P.7 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
October 1930 |
| Commissioning: |
1936 |
| Production time: |
1932-1933 |
| Number of pieces: |
149 |
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The PZL P.7 was a Polish fighter aircraft that was built by PZL in Warsaw from 1930 . It was used in the war against Germany in 1939.
development
The history of the PZL P.7 began in 1928, when the designer Zygmunt Puławski the all-metal - monoplane PZL P.1 designed. The aircraft was a middle- wing aircraft , but with high angled wings ( gull wings ), which should ensure good visibility for the pilot. The aircraft flew for the first time on September 25, 1929 and reached 302 km / h. The government decided to install a licensed Bristol Jupiter VI FH star engine and the PZL P.6 was created . It flew for the first time in August 1930. The wings, called Puławski wings or Polish wings , attracted worldwide interest. In December 1931 the aircraft was demonstrated in Le Bourget , Paris and was immediately one of the best fighters in the world. The prototype won the American National Air Races from August – September 1931.
The PZL P.6, however, never went into series production, instead the PZL P.7 with a more powerful Bristol Jupiter VII-F engine. It flew for the first time in October 1930. After some improvements to the engine cowling and fuselage, the PZL P.7a was created .
The first P.7a series went into production in mid-1932. A total of 149 machines were built and delivered to the Polish Air Force in 1933 .
After the P.7a, Puławski designed the PZL P.11 with a more powerful engine. The intermediate version P.8 with a V-12 engine already reached 350 km / h and was to go into production as the P.9 with a 760 hp Lorraine 12Hfrs Pétrel Chasse. Puławski died unexpectedly in a plane crash in March 1931. The P.11 with radial engine became the Polish standard fighter. The export version PZL P.24 was built from 1934.
The PZL P.7a entered service in early 1933 and replaced the PWS-A (licensed Avia BH-33 ) and PWS-10 fighters. The Polish Air Force was the first to be fully equipped with all-metal fighters. In the beginning, the PZL P.7a was a very modern fighter, but technical progress led to the replacement of the PZL P.11 from 1935 , which was a little more powerful. The P.7a was then mainly used by flight schools.
War effort
At the beginning of the Second World War , the Polish Air Force still had 106 PZL P.7a, 30 of them in troop units, 40 in flight schools and 35 in reserve or repair. The P.7a were used in three units of ten machines each (123rd squadron around Warsaw, 162nd and 151st). In addition to the 30 machines, several other machines were used on temporary airfields.
The P.7a was only weakly armed with two Vickers machine guns, but it was very easy to maneuver. They managed to shoot down seven German aircraft, two He 111 , two Do 17 , one Hs 126 and two Bf 110s . 22 P.7a were shot down by German aircraft.
Most of the P.7a were destroyed in the war. A few dozen then made it to Romania . Here they were not used for dogfights. Some captured aircraft were used for training purposes on the German and Soviet sides.
Countries of operation
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data PZL P.7a |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| length | 6.98 m |
| span | 10.57 m |
| height | 2.69 m |
| Wing area | 17.9 m² |
| Empty mass | 1090 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 1476 kg |
| Top speed | 327 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 8500 m |
| Rate of climb | 10.4 m / sm |
| Range | 600 km |
| Engine | 1 × Bristol Jupiter VII F , max. 520 hp (382 kW) |
| Armament | 2 × 7.7 mm Vickers E or 7.92 mm MG |
