Zlín (company)

Zlín Z-142

ZLIN AIRCRAFT as Otrokovice , or Zlín for short , is a Czechoslovak company that has become internationally known for its reliable and high-performance sport and aerobatic aircraft . It was founded as Zlínská letecká akciová společnost (Zlín Aviation Corporation, also: ZLAS).

history

Tomáš Baťa

It all began in 1924, when Tomáš Baťa became interested in setting up his own airline after founding the airlines “První pražský letecký podnik Falco” and “První pražský letecký podnik Ikarus”. After the acquisition of some disused Albatros B.II (L2) and the construction of the first "airfield" on a meadow in today's Podvesná district, he took up flight operations. In 1928, however, this area no longer met the increased requirements and the airfield was relocated to what is now the Otrokovicer district of Bahňak. After a few extensions and another relocation near the Otrokovice train station, the 66 hectare site was one of the largest private airports in Europe in 1931. In order to give the company a corporate form, the management of the Baťa Group decided in the same year to found a subsidiary AG with ZLAS, whose task was to transport passengers, luggage and freight. Sightseeing flights and similar events were also planned.

The aviation department (cost center 733) took on these tasks until the ZLAS was officially approved. On July 13, 1934, the Ministry of the Interior finally approved the establishment of the ZLAS under the file number č.j.47982 / 34/15. On September 18, 1934, the entry in the commercial register in the district court of Uherské Hradište took place, so that this day is considered the official date of establishment of the ZLAS. During the same period, the Baťa group also endeavored to set up its own aircraft production in addition to air transport. However, this was opposed by an order from the Ministry of Public Works, which wanted to avoid the establishment of further aircraft plants, since in their opinion the existing ones could by far cover the demand. In order to be able to start manufacturing aircraft anyway, the Baťa Group contributed considerable funds to the development of the MLL (“Marsarykova letecká liga”, Masaryk League ). According to the memories of those involved, the first gliders are said to have been built in 1933 on the premises of the works school, later in their boarding school "Young Men". Via an intermediate station, an 80 × 20 m room on the first floor of the so-called "Garáže", the glider production reached the Otrokovice airfield on November 1, 1934. On July 8, 1935, the official approval for the construction of aircraft by the Ministry of Commerce in consultation with the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Public Works was finally given under the file number č.j.56869 / 35-1 / E.

A few aviation enthusiasts and pilots made the start in 1933, and under the direction of Jan Kryšpín they began building their own glider , the ZI (also known as the “Albatros”). The Z-II was built under Kryšpín's direction, but then the designer left because of some differences with the Baťa management. He was followed by Ing. Rudolf Dohnálek ​​with the Z-III. However, these aircraft were mostly based on the German types SG 38 and Zögling. At the beginning of 1934 the brothers František Oskar Mayer (as a designer) and Oldřich Mayer (as a structural engineer) came to the company and created a whole series of extremely successful gliders with the Z-IV to Z-VIII series, of which 157 machines were delivered (the prototypes locked in). František Oskar Mayer also designed the company's first own glider, the ZX, of which 174 were built. After that, the Mayer brothers left the Ba Konzerna group because of differences with the group management that could not be resolved (for example, F. O. Mayer had only paid half of the promised bonuses).

The Zlin Z-XII designed by Jaroslav Lonek in the Kbely Aircraft Museum.

They were followed by Jaroslav Lonek , who designed the Z-IX, the first Zlín powered aircraft. It was nicknamed Pošťák (postman), which should symbolize Baťa's idea for a “people's plane” that “should be so cheap that every postman can buy it”. However, the Z-IX remained a unique specimen due to poor flight characteristics. With the Z-XII , Lonek created what is probably the most famous Czechoslovak sports aircraft of the pre-war period. The fast courier and touring aircraft Z-XIII also came from him . Nevertheless, like many designers before, he left the factory in 1938 due to conflicts and fled via Poland to the Soviet Union after the occupation of the ČSR, where he was trained as a parachutist. Deposed as an agent behind enemy lines, he was arrested by the Gestapo. After a long prison term, Lonek is said to have been executed in Dresden on January 26, 1945. Other sources speak of 1943.

His successor in the factory was František Pospíšil in 1938, under whose direction work on the Z-XV was continued and completed. However, constructions like the Zlín Z-XVI, the Z-XVIII , Z-XIX or Z-XXI remained unfinished or got stuck in the drawing board stage.

The last designer before the takeover by the German occupiers was Ing.Karel Tomáš, who had switched from the Tatra works to the ZLAS. The draft Tatra T-002 brought from there formed the basis for the twin-engine courier aircraft Z-XX (Z-20), the construction work of which was continued and completed after the war. Ing. Tomáš stayed with Zlín until October 31, 1946 and later continued his work at the car factory in Prague-Čakovice. During the war, he worked with a large number of the designers from Zlín at Flettner Flugzeugbau GmbH .

By 1939, 305 aircraft had been built near Zlín.

On December 18, 1940, the ZLAS was renamed “Zliner Flugzeugwerke AG”, a name that the factory retained until the end of the war.

During the occupation, the plant did not develop its own aircraft types, but it did produce training aircraft for the Air Force on behalf of the Reich Aviation Ministry (RLM) ; until 1940 the in-house development Z-212 (58 units), until 1942 Klemm Kl 35 (284 units) and from the second half of the Second World War the Bücker Bü 181 Bestmann (786 units), which after the German surrender as Zlín Z-181 / 282/381 was continued.

After the Second World War, the Zlín works were nationalized and renamed Zlínavion , later Moravan . The first post-war model produced in series was the Z-22 , which was built from 1946 . In the following years such well-known types as the Trenér series Z-26 and Z-126 as well as their successors Z-326 , Z-526 and Z-726 emerged . The Trenér types could be found at almost every international flight competition from 1957 to 1969 and during this time they won the Lockheed Trophy six times and the Léon Biancotto Trophée twice. Zlín was awarded a Diplome d'Honneur by the FAI in 1965 because of these successes . Other well-known types are the training and travel aircraft Z-42 and the aerobatic aircraft Z-50 .

Post-war sailplane construction near Zlín is a chapter in itself. From 1946 to 1948 types such as the Z-23 “Honza” school glider and the Z-24 “Krajanek” and Z-25 “Šohaj” gliders were produced in quantities of several hundred. In 1950, Zlín built the first European glider with a laminar profile, the Z-225 "Medak" .

The Z-35 / Z-135 helicopter developed by Zlín did not get beyond the prototype stage.

present

Since the collapse of the Eastern Bloc , the company has struggled with sales difficulties and has kept itself above water mainly with the production of accessories. Nevertheless, in November 2005, bankruptcy had to be filed for a short time. In December 2006, the Irish company QucomHaps Holdings Ltd. larger company shares and appointed a new managing director.

Current products are the Z-143 and the Z-242 .

By 2008, around 5,600 aircraft had been produced at Zlín and delivered to over 60 countries. The company has been operating under the name ZLIN AIRCRAFT as Otrokovice since September 1st, 2009 .

Automobile prototype

In 1956 the company developed the prototype of a microcar called the Moravan on behalf of the state . A fan-cooled motorcycle engine from Jawa drove the four-wheeled vehicle . The engine made 14 hp from a 344 cm³ displacement and was mounted in the rear. The steering wheel was in the middle of the vehicle; behind it there was space for two more people. Instead of doors, the cabin roof could be moved backwards for getting in and out. In 1957 the experiments were stopped.

literature

• Hans-Joachim Mau: Czechoslovakian aircraft , transpress, Berlin 1987, ISBN 3-344-00121-3
• Paul Bezouska / Detlef Billig: Zlín - the success story of the Moravian aircraft manufacturer , FliegerRevue-Extra issue 19
• Detlef Billig, Tobias Harzdorf: Zlins… In: Typenschau No. 03 . TOM-Modellbau, Friedland 2006, ISBN 3-939439-02-9 .
• Article series in letectvi + kosmonautika on ZLAS
• Harald H. Linz, Halwart Schrader : The International Automobile Encyclopedia . United Soft Media Verlag, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-8032-9876-8 (for automobile production).

Web links

Commons : Zlín (company)  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Moravan - Zlin Company

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Ulrich Langer: Die Luftfahrtindustrie der ČSSR , Flieger-Jahrbuch 1981, p. 71.