LWD Zuch - Design and Development

Design and Development

The aircraft was a development of a military and civilian trainer plane LWD Junak-1, meant as a civilian aerobatics and trainer plane for the Polish Aero Club. It was designed in the Lotnicze Warsztaty Doświadczalne (LWD - Aircraft Experimental Workshops), a main designer was Tadeusz Sołtyk. The design was similar to Junak-1, the main difference was en engine. Unlike Junak, its fixed landing gear, in massive covers, was lacking struts. It was also fitted with split flaps and had slightly enlarged rudder (similar improvements were later adapted in Junak-2).

The first variant Zuch-1 was powered by the Czechoslovak 160 hp Walter Minor 6-III inline engine in a long, slant nose. The prototype flew first on September 1, 1948. The design was quite successful and fit to aerobatics, but it did not enter production because of decision not to produce Walter Minor engines in Poland. The prototype served in aero clubs from 1950 until end of 1955, with markings SP-BAD.

The second prototype Zuch-2 was fitted with a radial engine Bramo Sh 14. It was flown on April 1, 1949 and carried markings SP-BAG. Because of increased drag, maximum speed was lower - 222 km/h comparing to 244 km/h of Zuch-1. Because there were several Sh 14 engines available, left in the country by retreating Germans, the LWD next built a short series of 5 Zuch-2s in 1950. They carried markings SP-BAL - SP-BAP and served in aero clubs until 1955, except SP-BAM, which served until 1963.