PZL Bielsko SZD-51

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**SZD-51-1 Junior**

Type designation	SZD-51-1 Junior
Competition class	Club
Number built
Crew	1
Length	6.69 m
Height	1.57 m
Cockpit width
Cockpit height
Wingspan	15 m
Wing area	12.51 m²
Aspect ratio	18
Wing profile
Empty mass	ca. 225 kg
Maximum mass	380 kg
Wing loading	ca. 25 - 30 kg/m²
Maximum speed	220 km/h (119 kts)
Rough air speed
Stall speed	60 km/h
Minimum sink rate	ca. 0.58 m/s at 70 km/h
Best glide ratio	35 at 80 km/h

The SZD-51-1 Junior is a single-place club sailplane, with safe and docile handling qualities, specifically designed for early solo and recreational flying.

The Junior was designed from the outset as a club glider, not as a fixed gear version of a competition sailplane. It feature a large and comfortable cockpit with seating position that is more upright than usual in modern gliders, a fixed undercarriage with an oversized tire to soften landing, and an unusually strong airframe designed to endure 9,000 hours of demanding club operation. The key ingredient to the Junior's role is a wing with considerably more wing area than racing sailplanes and an airfoil optimised for safe handling and smooth stall characteristics.

The latest variant of the SZD-51-1 has fully automatic coupling of all flight controls, a pilot's back rest adjustable in rake and depth and a new stick-mounted automatic trim.