PZL TS-8 Bies
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| TS-8 Bies | |
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 TS-8 during Góraszka Air Show 2007 |
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| Type | Trainer aircraft |
| Manufacturer | WSK PZL-Mielec |
| Maiden flight | 23 July 1955 |
| Introduced | 1957 |
| Retired | 1978 |
| Primary users | Polish Air Force Aeroklub Polski |
| Produced | 1957-1960 |
| Number built | 251 |
The PZL TS-8 Bies is a Polish trainer aircraft, used from 1957 to 1970s by the Polish Air Force and civilian aviation.
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[edit] Development
The aircraft was designed in response to a Polish Air Force requirement for a modern piston engined trainer with a retractable tricycle landing gear to replace Junak 3 and Yak-11 aircraft. The main designer was Tadeusz Sołtyk - hence a designation letters TS. The plane was named Bies - a folk name for the devil. Work started in 1953, the first prototype was flown on July 23, 1955. In 1956 and 1957 it beat three international records in its class[1]. The second prototype was showed on the Paris Air Show in 1957.
In 1957 the first experimental series of 10 aircraft was produced in WSK-Okecie (designated as TS-8 BI). A slightly improved main variant (designated as TS-8 BII) was produced from 1958 to 1960 in WSK Mielec. The last 10 machines were built with better avionics (TS-8 BIII). Total of 251 TS-8 were produced (229 in TS-8 BII variant).
The TS-8 had good handling and performance, a noisy engine was one of its few flaws. It was the first really modern aircraft designed in Poland after the war, also using a Polish engine.
[edit] Design
All-metal low-wing cantilever monoplane. A semi-monocoque fuselage, oval in cross-section, metal-covered. Crew of two, sitting in tandem in a closed cockpit, with twin controls (a student in front, an instructor in the rear). Canopy sections above crewmen are sliding rearwards. Three-part single-spar wing, of semi-monocoque design, creating a transverse "W" shape. Tricycle retractable landing gear. 7 cylinder radial engine WN-3 in front, delivering 315 hp take-off power and 283 hp normal power. Two-blade wooden propeller of variable pitch, 2.2 m diameter. The plane had no armament, except for the experimental series TS-8 BI, which had one 12.7mm machine gun and two small bomb pylons.
[edit] Operational history
The TS-8s started to be withdrawn from the Polish Air Force in the mid-1960s, replaced by jet trainers PZL TS-11 Iskra. Over 100 aircraft were handed over to the civilian aviation (aero clubs) then. Most TS-8s were withdrawn from civilian aviation by 1978. Three fly until today. Two TS-8s were used in Indonesia.
[edit] Variants
- TS-8
- Two prototypes.
- TS-8 BI
- First experimental series, 10 built.
- TS-8 BII
- Improved TS-8 BI. Main production version, 229 built.
- TS-8 BIII
- Version equipped with better avionics, 10 built.
[edit] Operators
[edit] Specifications
This aircraft article is missing some (or all) of its specifications. If you have a source, you can help Wikipedia by adding them.Data from {name of first source}
General characteristics
- Crew: Two (student & instructor)
- Length: 8.55 m (28 ft 5 in)
- Wingspan: 10.5 m (34 ft 5 in)
- Height: 3.0 m (9 ft 10 in)
- Wing area: 19.10 m² (205 ft²)
- Empty weight: 1,292 kg (2,842 lb)
- Loaded weight: 1,550 kg (3,410 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 1,672 kg (3,678 lb)
- Powerplant: 1× Narkiewicz WN-3 7-cylinder radial engine, 239 kW (315 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 315 km/h (171 knots, 197 mph)
- Range: 620 km (335 nm, 386 miles)
- Service ceiling 5,900 m (19,352 ft)
- Rate of climb: 378 m/min (1,240 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 81 kg/m² (16.6 lb/ft²)
- Power/mass: 0.14 kW/kg (0.08 hp/lb)
[edit] References
- ^ World records of height 7084.5 m in C-Ic class (weight 1000-1750 kg), distance in a closed circuit 2884.5 km in C-Id class (weight 1750-3000 kg), speed 317 km/h in a closed circuit 2000 km in C-Ic class
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
Comparable aircraft
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