PWS-26

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PWS-26
PWS-26 in the Polish Aviation Museum
Type	Trainer aircraft
Manufacturer	PWS
Maiden flight	1935
Primary users	Polish military aviation Romania
Produced	1936-1939
Number built	320

The PWS-26 was a Polish advanced trainer aircraft, used from 1937 to 1939 by the Polish Air Force, constructed in the PWS (Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów - Podlasie Aircraft Factory). It was second most numerous Polish pre-war aircraft, after RWD-8.

Contents 1 Development 2 Operational History 3 Description 4 Operators 5 Specification 6 References

[edit] Development

The aircraft was a final development of a design line: PWS-12, PWS-14 and PWS-16, designed in response to a Polish Air Force requirement for an advanced trainer aircraft. The main designer was Augustyn Zdaniewski. The PWS-26 was a direct development of the PWS-16bis, sharing the same silhouette, being more militarized variant - with strengthened construction, fit to dive training. Contrary to its predecessors, the PWS-26 was armed with a machinegun and practice bombs. It also had other improvements and was fit to aerobatics and inverted flying. A visual difference from the PWS-16bis were canvas-covered struts of landing gear.

The prototype was flown in 1935. After trials, its production started in 1936. By the outbreak of World War II in 1939, 320 were made.

[edit] Operational History

PWS-26 were used in the Polish military aviation from early 1937, becoming a standard type of advanced trainer for fighter pilots. It replaced most of older PWS-14s, PWS-16s, PWS-18s (licensed Avro Tutor) and Bartel BM-5d's. They carried numbers starting with "81-". PWS-26 was regarded as a succesful plane, with good flight characteristics. During Polish service there were 10 fatal crashes, what was not a high number.

After the German invasion of Poland, some of PWS-26 were used in liaison flights, three aircraft in each, assigned to Armies (basic equipment of liaision flights was RWD-8). PWS-26 were mostly used as a replacement of destroyed aircraft. According to Jan Falkowski report, on September 3, 1939, while flying PWS-26, he made one of chasing him Bf 109's crash to the ground near Lublin, due to low manouvres, but there is no confirmation on the German side. Single PWS-26 along with two RWD-8s of the Polesie Operational Group, were the last Polish aircraft in the sky during the campaign. Also some Czechoslovak pilots flew these aircrat during the campaign on the Polish side.

Some PWS-26 were shot down by the Germans, at least one was shot down by the Soviets on September 19. A great number of PWS-26s were bombed by the Germans in air bases or burned by withdrawing Poles. A dozen or so were evacuated to Romania and at least 33 toLatvia. A number of aircraft were captured by the Germans (including 33 captured in Latvia in 1941). After some modification, 28 of them were sold to Romania. Romanian aircraft (including evacuated ones) entered service in civilian and military aviation (used there to the 1950s). Two were tested in Germany. A dozen or so were captured by the Soviets in Poland and used by them for testing.

Only one PWS-26, no. 81-123, was found in Poland after the war, used next until 1953 by civilian aviation with markings SP-AJB, currently preserved in the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków (during the war it was an exhibit of German aviation museum, with German markings VG+AS).

[edit] Description

Two-seater mixed construction (steel and wood) trainer biplane, canvas and plywood covered, with open cockpits. A fuselage of a metal frame, covered with wooden frame and canvas, in engine section with aluminium sheets. Two-spar rectangular wings with rounded tips, of wooden construction, canvas and plywood covered. Crew of two, sitting in tandem, with double controls (instructor in front, student in rear). Some had an elevated canvas cover above student's cab for blind flying training. Engine: 9 cylinder air-cooled radial engine Wright Whirlwind J-5B, built by licence in Polish works Avia. Two-blade wooden propeller of fixed pitch. Conventional landing gear, with a rear skid. Fuel tank 150 l in a fuselage. Armament (optional): 7.92 mm wz.33 or Vickers machinegun in the right side of fuselage, with interrupter gear, camera gun and 2 x 12-kg bombs.

[edit] Operators

• Germany: Luftwaffe
•  Poland
• Romania

[edit] Specification

General characteristics

• Crew: 1, instructor
• Capacity: 1, student
• Length: 7.03 m ()
• Wingspan: 9 m ()
• Height: 2.87 m ()
• Wing area: 25.00 m² (ft²)
• Empty weight: 885 kg ()
• Loaded weight: 1170 kg ()
• Useful load: 355 kg ()
• Max takeoff weight: 1240 kg ()
• Powerplant: 1× Avia Wright Whirlwind J-5B air-cooled 9-cylinder radial, 240 hp ()

Performance

• Maximum speed: 201 km/h
• Cruise speed: 172 km/h
• Stall speed: <78 km/h ()
• Range: 460 km ()
• Service ceiling: 4,200 m ()
• Rate of climb: 4.1 m/s ()
• Wing loading: 48.4 kg/m² ()

Armament

1 x 7.92 mm machinegun, 2 x 12-kg bombs (optional)

Related development

PWS-12 - PWS-14 - PWS-16

Designation sequence

PWS-19 - PWS-20 - PWS-21 - PWS-24 - PWS-26 - PWS-33 - PWS-35 - PWS-40 - PWS-42

[edit] References

• Andrzej Glass: "Polskie konstrukcje lotnicze 1893-1939" (Polish aviation constructions 1893-1939), WKiŁ, Warsaw 1977 (Polish language, no ISBN)