Mráz Sokol
| M-1 Sokol | |
|---|---|
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| M-1C in the Prague Aviation Museum, Kbely | |
| Role | Utility aircraft |
| National origin | Czechoslovakia |
| Manufacturer | Beneš-Mráz, Choceň |
| Designer | Zdeněk Rublič |
| First flight | 9 March 1946 |
| Number built | 287 |
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The Mráz M.1 Sokol (Czech: "Falcon") was a light aircraft built in Czechoslovakia in the years following the end of the Second World War. Designed in secret by Zdeněk Rublič at the Beneš-Mráz factory during the German occupation, the type was put into production in 1946.
The Sokol was a conventional, low-wing monoplane that took the pre-war Beneš-Mráz Bibi as its starting point. Two seats were provided side-by-side in an enclosed cabin, and the main units of the tailwheel undercarriage were retractable. Construction throughout was of wood.
Variants
- M-1A - original two-seat version with Walter Minor engine
- M-1B - similar to M-1A but with ZLAS Toma engine (1 built)
- M-1C - revised version, with longer fuselage and third seat, and swept leading edges on wing (183 built)
- M-1D - similar to M-1C with new, single-piece canopy and larger rear windows (104 built)
- M-1E - similar to M-1D but equipped with pontoons (at least 1 built)
Operators
- Czechoslovakian National Security Guard
Survivors
An M-1C, registration G-AIXN is maintained in flyable condition in the UK. Other airworthy examples exist in the Czech Republic at Prague Točná Airport (2013) and in Germany (2012).
Specifications (M-1D)
Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1951–52[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Capacity: 2 passengers
- Length: 7.35 m (24 ft 1 in)
- Wingspan: 10.0 m (32 ft 10 in)
- Height: 2.20 m (7 ft 3 in) (tail up)
- Wing area: 13.8 m2 (149 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 425 kg (937 lb)
- Gross weight: 780 kg (1,720 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Walter Minor 4-III air-cooled four-cylinder inverted inline engine, 78 kW (105 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 240 km/h (149 mph; 130 kn)
- Cruising speed: 212 km/h (132 mph; 114 kn)
- Range: 1,000 km (621 mi; 540 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 4,800 m (15,748 ft)
- Rate of climb: 3.0 m/s (590 ft/min)
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mraz Sokol M-1. |
- ↑ Bridgman 1951, pp. 110c–111c.
- Bridgman, Leonard (1951). Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1951–52. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, Ltd.
- Němeček, Václav (1968). Československá letadla. Prague: Naše Vojsko.
- Simpson, R. W. (1995). Airlife's General Aviation. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing.
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 571.
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