PZL Ł.2

PZL Ł.2
PZL Ł.2 "Afrykanka" sports plane
Role	Liaison aircraft
Manufacturer	PZL
First flight	1929
Primary user	Polish Air Force
Produced	1930-1931
Number built	26

The PZL Ł.2 was the Polish liaison aircraft, built in 1929 in the Polskie Zakłady Lotnicze (PZL) in Warsaw.

Development

In 1927, the Polish War Ministry opened a contest for a military liaison and observation plane. It was meant to operate from casual airfields, used by Army land units. Jerzy Dąbrowski and Franciszek Kott from the PZL works proposed a plane, designated initially PZL.2.^[1] It was one of the first PZL designs. The first prototype was flown in late 1929 by Bolesław Orliński (later it received registration SP-ADN).^[1]

In 1930 it was tested and evaluated by the Polish Air Force. Thanks to wing mechanization, it had short take-off and landing, it offered also a good handling and performance. Despite the PZL.2 was evaluated as best among competitors (Lublin R-X and PWS-5t2), only a short series was ordered, while it was decided to develop a simpler, cheaper and quite satisfactory R-X design, what resulted in the Lublin R-XIII.^[1]

An initial order for 30 PZL.2 by the Air Force was finally lowered to 25. The aircraft were built in 1930-1931. The designation changed then to PZL Ł.2 ("łącznikowy", liaison) or Ł.2a. Including the prototype, they carried factory numbers 55.1 - 55.26.^[1]

The first serial Ł.2 was converted in 1931 to a long-distance sports plane (registration SP-AFA). It had fuel tanks 600 l and a range of 2000 km. It was also fitted with a Townend ring.^[1]

Due to decrease of order, there remained parts for 5 aircraft. In 1930 the PZL proposed to the Polish Navy a liaison and patrol floatplane variant of Ł.2, designated PZL.9, but it was not built. Then, the PZL proposed another patrol and fighter floatplane, basing on Ł.2 parts, PZL.15. It was a low-wing braced monoplane with thin tail boom, and utilized wings, tail and engine of Ł.2. It was not built either. Parts of Ł.2 (wings, tail, engine) were utilized in a passenger plane prototype PZL.16.^[1]

Design

PZL Ł.2 was a high-wing braced monoplane, conventional in layout, of all-metal construction. It had a duralumin framed, canvas covered fuselage (engine part was covered with duralumin). Crew of two was sitting in tandem in open cockpits, with twin controls. The observer had a 7.7 mm Lewis machine gun on a ring mounting. The elliptical wing was two-spar, of duralumin construction, canvas-covered, fitted with slats, flaps and flaperons. Wings could be dismounted for transport. The tail was of duralumin construction, canvas covered. It had a conventional fixed landing gear with a rear skid.^[1]

It had a 9-cylinder air-cooled Polish Skoda Works licence-built Wright Whirlwind J-5A radial engine delivering 240 hp (179 kW) at take-off and 220 hp (164 kW) nominal, driving a two-blade wooden propeller, 2.7 m diameter (in SP-AFA - metal one). 190 litre fuel tank in a fuselage (600 l in SP-AFA). Cruise fuel consumption was 45-50 l/h.^[1]

Operational history

In May 1930 the prototype PZL.2 was shown by Bolesław Orliński at air meeting in Brno, where it impressed viewers with short landing and minimal speed. After being fitted with a rear machine gun, it was shown at Paris Air Show in December 1930.^[1]

Serial aircraft were used by the Polish Air Force as liaison and utility aircraft. By 1939 they were replaced with Lublin R-XIII and RWD-8. They were also used for training in Dęblin.^[1]

PZL Ł.2 SP-AFA was used for several long-distance flights. Between 1 February - 5 May 1931 Stanisław Skarżyński with A. Markiewicz flew it around Africa, on Warsaw - Belgrad - Athens - Cairo - Khartoum - Juba - Kisumu - Elisabethville - Leopoldville - Port Gentil - Douala - Lagos - Abidjan - Bamako - Dakar - Port Etienne - Casablanca - Alicante - Bordeaux - Paris - Berlin - Warsaw 25,050 km-route (with some other stops). The plane was nicknamed Afrykanka (the African female) then. The engine was repaired twice on the way. In 7–8 June 1931 Skarżyński flew it from Poznań in a rally to Bucharest. In July 1932 it hauled Polish gliders SG-21 and SG-28 in international competition in Rhön (piloted by Skarżyński again).^[1] The plane was written off in November 1935.

Operators

 Poland

• Polish Air Force operated 24 aircraft.
• PZL company operated two aircraft.

Specifications

Data from Glass^[2]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1 - Pilot
• Capacity: 1 - Observer
• Length: 7.92 m ()
• Wingspan: 13.4 m ()
• Height: 2.70 m ()
• Wing area: 25.8 m² ()
• Empty weight: 892 kg ()
• Loaded weight: 1280 kg ()
• Useful load: 388 kg ()
• Powerplant: 1 × Skoda Wright Whirlwind J-5A, 240 hp (176 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 183 km/h
• Cruise speed: 165 km/h
• Stall speed: <67 km/h ()
• Range: 660 km ()
• Service ceiling: 4,730 m ()
• Rate of climb: 4.75 m/s ()
• Wing loading: 49.6 kg/m² ()
• Take-off run: 55 m
• Landing run: 45 m

Armament

• 7.7 mm Lewis machine gun on a ring mounting

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} Glass, A., op.cit.
2. ^ Glass, A. op.cit., p. 220.

• (Polish) Glass, Andrzej. Polskie konstrukcje lotnicze 1893-1939 [Polish aviation designs 1893-1939], WKiŁ, Warsaw 1977 (no ISBN), pp. 218–220.

External links

• Photos and drawing

See also

Related development

• PZL.16
  

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Lublin R-X
• Lublin R-XIII