VL Pyry
| VL Pyry | |
|---|---|
 VL Pyry in the Finnish Aviation Museum |
|
| Type: | Trainer aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
March 19, 1939 |
| Commissioning: |
1941 |
| Number of pieces: |
41 |
The VL Pyry was a two-seat training aircraft for the Finnish Air Force built by the Finnish state aircraft construction company Valtion lentokonetehdas .
Development and use
In 1937 the Finnish Air Force requested the construction of the first prototype , named VL Pyry I and license plate PY-1. Martti Vainio, Torsti Verkkola, and Edward Wegelius worked in the design team, headed by chief designer Arvo Ylinenen. The aircraft was made in a mixed construction of wood, steel, fabric and duralumin . On March 29, 1939, the aircraft took off on its first flight with test pilot Lieutenant Jorma Visapää. In May of this year, the Finnish Air Force ordered 40 machines, which were ready for use in the spring of 1941. The series version was designated as VL Pyry II and the machines bore the designations PY-2 to PY-41.
The Air Force School in Kauhava was the first to be equipped with Pyrys in 1941. This aircraft has been used to train pilots for over 20 years and it has become one of the most successful Finnish training aircraft. Around 700 flight students were trained as pilots in a total of more than 56,000 flight hours. In March 1943 there was an accident with a Pyry for the first time when Major EO Ehrnrooth exposed the aircraft to great stress. Ehrnrooth, who was commanding a squadron of Messerschmitt Bf 109 aircraft at the time, was killed in this accident. The Pyry was in service between 1939 and 1962. On September 7, 1962, the last flight was carried out on a Pyry. Captain Veikko Hietamies flew the PY-1 and Oberleutnant Keijo Elio the PY-27.
Military use
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 2 |
| length | 7.70 m |
| span | 9.80 m |
| height | 2.50 m |
| Wing area | 12.70 m² |
| Empty mass | 1045 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 1535 kg |
| Cruising speed | 286 km / h |
| Top speed | 330 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 5800 m |
| Range | 1150 km |
| Engines | 1 × radial engine Wright R-975E-3 Whirlwind with 450 PS (331 kW) |
| Armament | 1 × 7.62mm machine gun |
See also
literature
- Kalevi Keskinen, Klaus Niska, Kari Stenman, Carl-Fredrik Geust: Suomen museolentokoneet. Tietoteos, 1981, ISBN 951-9035-60-5 .
- Kalevi Keskinen, Kari Stenman, Klaus Niska: Suomen ilmavoimien historia 14 - Suomalaiset hävittäjät. AR-Kustannus ky, 1990, ISBN 951-95821-0-X .
- Sodissa kaatuneet lentäjät (Erkki Pohjanheimo ja Akilles Järvinen, Pekka Kokko ja Sesse Vitikainen, VL Pyry) [3]
