| Zlin 42, 142 and 242 series | |
|---|---|
| Moravan Zlin 242L | |
| Role | Sport, personal and trainer aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Moravan Otrokovice |
| First flight | 17 October 1967 |
| Introduction | 1970 |
| Variants | Zlín Z 43 |
The Zlin Z 42 is a single-engine two-seat Czechoslovakian trainer aircraft manufactured by Moravan Otrokovice. A developed version, the Z 142, is the most popular aircraft variant in the manufacturer's aircraft line.
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The aircraft were built by Moravan Aviation, founded in 1934 by Tomas Bata in the Czech Republic.
As a follow-on and replacement for the successful Zlin Trener series of tandem aerobatic trainers, Moravan developed a new family of light aircraft, featuring a side-by-side layout and comprising a two seat trainer, the Zlín Z 42 and a four seat trainer/tourer aircraft, the Zlín Z 43. The Z 42 first flew on 17 October 1967,[1] achieving airworthiness certification on 7 September 1970.[2]
The aircraft fuselage center section is of welded steel tube, covered with sheet metal and fiberglass panels. The tailcone is of monocoque construction. The empennage is of sheet metal. The two-spar wings are of all-metal construction. The tricycle landing gear is fixed, with a steerable nose wheel. Designed for aerobatics instruction, it was certified to +6.0 and -4.0 limit maneuvering load factors, and was equipped with full inverted fuel and oil systems permitting extended inverted flight. The Z 42 is powered by a Walter inverted six-cylinder engine rated at 134 kW (180 hp).
The revised Zlín Z 42M flew in November 1972, with a revised tail taken from the Z 43, and a Constant speed propeller replacing the variable pitch propellor (where the propellor pitch is controlled by the pilot) of the original Z 42. When early Z 42s were refitted with the new propellor, they were redesignated Z 42 MU.[2]
Development continued, with the Zlin Z 142 featuring a slightly enlarged two seat airframe based on that of the Z 42 and the more powerful (157 kW (210 hp)) Walter (now LOM) M 337 fuel-injected inverted 6 cylinder, supercharged air-cooled engine of the Z 43 replacing the unsupercharged M 137 engine of the Z 42. The prototype Z-142 first flew on 29 December 1978.[3]
In the late 1980s further development work was initiated. The inverted inline engine was replaced with a four-cylinder horizontally opposed Lycoming IO-360 engine. This variant is designated the Z 242, and is immediately distinguishable by its relatively wide cowling which houses the flat-four engine.
The Z 42 variants are used for basic and intermediate VFR flight training, for basic aerobatics training, for night and instrument flight training, and for glider towing.
The aircraft were largely used in former COMECON countries for air club and basic air force training. It was also used by the air forces of Algeria, Mexico and Slovenia.
There have been wing difficulties resulting in restriction of permitted aerobatic flight time for original aircraft. The factory offers a retrofit package of replacement wings and an AMU-1 fatigue monitoring system, which extends overall airframe life to 5 500 hours, all of which may be aerobatic.
Two Z-142s were used by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in bombing sorties on the Sri Lankan airforce bases in Sri Lanka in 2007.[4] In October 2008 the Zlins were also used in an attack on a military base of the Sri Lanka Army, and a power station in the outskirts of the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka.[5][6]
The Zlin Z 142 was not designed as a fully aerobatic plane, but it is equipped for inverted flying, and can be used for aerobatic instruction. The following figures are allowed:
Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1971-72 [7]
General characteristics
Performance
| Z 42 | Z 42 M [9] | Z 142 & Z 142 C[3] | Z 242 & Z 242 L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 7.07 m or 23' 2" | 7.07 m (23 ft 2½ in) | 7.33 m (24 ft 0½ in) | 6.94 m or 22.77' |
| Wingspan | 9.11 m (29 ft 9 in) | 9.11 m (29 ft 10¾in ) | 9.16 m (30 ft 0½ in) | 9.34 m (30.64 ft) |
| Height | 2.69 m or 8' 8" | 2.69 m (8 ft 10in) | 2.75 m (9 ft 0¼ in) | 2.95 m or 9.68' |
| Wing Area | 13.152 or 141.55 sq.ft | 13.15 m2 or 141.5 sq.ft | 13.30 m2 (143.2 sq.ft) | 13.86 m2 or 149.13 sq.ft |
| Weight empty | 600 kg or 1.323 lb | 645 kg (1,422 lb) | 730 kg (1,609 lb) | 730 kg or 1,609 lb |
| Maximum take-off weight | 920 kg or 2.028 lb (normal) | 920 kg (2,028 lb) (aerobatic) 970 kg (2,138 lb) (normal) |
970 kg (2,138 lb) (aerobatic) 1,020 kg (2,248 lb) (utility) 1,090 kg (2,403 lb) (normal) |
970 kg or 2,140 (acrobatic) 1,020 kg or 2,250 lb (utility) 1,090 kg or 2,400 lb (normal) |
| Never Exceed speed | 315 km/h or 170 kt IAS | 315 km/h or 170 kt IAS | 320 km/h | 319 km/h or 172 kt IAS |
| Max speed | 226 km/h or 122 kt IAS | 226 km/h (122 kt, 140 mph) | 230 km/h (124 kt, 143 mph) | 250 km/h or 135 kt IAS |
| Cruise speed | ? | 215 km/h (116 kt, 134 mph) | 215 km/h (116 kt, 134 mph) | 207 km/h or 112 kt IAS (75% MC) 176 km/h or 95 kt IAS (65% MC) |
| Stall speed (clean) | ? | 100 km/h (54 kt, 62.5 mph) (aerobatic) (flaps down) 102 km/h (55 kt, 63.5 mph) (normal) (flaps down) |
102 km/h (55 kt, 63.5 mph (aerobatic) (flaps down) | 105 km/h or 57 kt IAS (acrobatic) 108 km/h or 58 kt IAS (utility) 111 km/h or 60 kt IAS (normal) |
| Full range | ? | 530 km (286 nm, 329 mi) (max standard fuel, aerobatic) | 940 km (507 nm, 584 mi) (normal) | 1,056 km (570 nm) at 65% MC |
| Service Ceiling | ? | 4,250m ((13,950 ft) (aerobatic) 3,800 m (12,470 ft) (normal) |
5,000 m (16,400 ft) | 4,500 m (14,764 ft) |
| Rate of climb | ? | 5.2 m/s (1,025 ft/min) (aerobatic) 4.8 m/s (945 ft/min) (normal) |
5.5 m/s (1,080 ft/min (aerobatic) | 5.5 m/s or 1,080 ft/min (acrobatic) 4.25 m/s or 850 ft/min (normal) |
| Wing loading | ? | ? | ? | 70 kg/m2 or 14.3 lb/sq.ft (acrobatic) 73.6 kg/m2 or 15.1 lb/sq.ft (utility) 78.6 kg/m2 or 16.1 lb/sq.ft (normal) |
| Power/mass | ? | ? | ? | 6.51 kg/kW or 10.7 lb/Hp (acrobatic) 6.85 kg/kW or 11.3 lb/Hp (utility) 7.32 kg/kW or 12.0 lb/Hp (normal) |
| Fuel capacity | 2 x 65L main | 2 x 65L main | 2 x 60L main, 2 x 50 L aux | 2 x 60 L or 2 x 16 USG (main) 2 x 55 L or 2 x 14.5 USG (aux) |
| Engine model | M137A | Avia M 137 AZ | Avia M 337 AK supercharged | AEIO-360-A1B6 |
| Engine power | 134 kW or 180 hp | 134 kW or 180 hp | 156 kW or 210 hp | 150 kW or 200 hp |
| Propeller | ? | Avia V-503 two bladed constant speed | Avia V-500A two bladed constant speed | MTV-9-B-C/C-188-18a (LBA) HC-C3YR-4BF/FC6890 (FAA) |
The aircraft is popular with flying training organizations. One of the largest fleet operators is Sault College of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, which operates ten 242Ls.[10]
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