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The Junak is a Polish trainer aircraft, used from 1952 to 1961 by the Polish Air Force and until 1972 by Polish civilian operators, which was designed in the LWD bureau and produced in the WSK factory.
[edit] Design and developmentThe aircraft was designed in response to a Polish Air Force requirement of 1946 for a trainer to replace the Soviet UT-2, which was obsolete. The new aircraft was designed in 1947 in the LWD (Lotnicze Warsztaty Doświadczalne - Aircraft Experimental Workshops) - the first Polish post-war construction bureau. The chief designer was Tadeusz Sołtyk. A prototype named LWD Junak, later Junak 1 was flown on February 22, 1948 (whose name meant "brave young man", old-fashioned). The entire design was Polish, except for the engine, which was a license-built Soviet radial, the Shvetsov M-11D (93 kW, 125 hp). After tests, an improved variant Junak 2 was flown on July 12, 1949. The most notable changes from the Junak 1 included the cockpit being moved forward, the fin was increased in area, a more powerful M-11FR engine (118 kW, 160 hp) was fitted and the massive landing gear covers were deleted. The plane's handling improved. The LWD team disbanded in 1950 and Junak 2 development was continued by the CSS workshops in Warsaw. After further improvements the prototype was designated Junak-2bis, but finally entered production in 1951 as Junak-2. Tadeusz Sołtyk was given a State Award in 1952 for the design. From 1951 to 1954, 105 Junak 2s were produced in the WSK-Okęcie in Warsaw (the first 3 in the WSK-Mielec). Tadeusz Sołtyk, then working in the Aviation Institute (Instytut Lotnictwa - IL) in Warsaw, proposed a Junak development with a bubble canopy, retractable landing gear and other improvements, designated TS-7 Chwat, but it was not ordered by the authorities and remained on the drawing board. Instead, when the Polish Air Force equipped with its first jet fighters, the (Yak-23 and MiG-15), there appeared to be a need for a trainer with a tricycle landing gear. Sołtyk then designed a modified Junak with a fixed tricycle landing gear and other minor improvements. This plane entered production as TS-9 Junak 3 ("TS" for the designers initials) after having first flown on August 7, 1953. The new plane was heavier, and the maximum speed dropped from 223 km/h (139 mph) to 205 km/h (128 mph). Between 1953 and 1956, 146 Junak 3s were produced in WSK Warszawa-Okęcie. Along with the Junak 1, the LWD developed a civilian trainer and aerobatics variant LWD Zuch. Only a small batch of 5 Zuch 2s was built in 1950, powered with the 116 hp Bramo Sh 14 radial engine. The Junak was the first aircraft mass-produced in Poland after World War II, which had annihilated the Polish aviation industry. Despite not being particularly modern, it was a stable and well handling aircraft, with an uncomfortable cockpit being one of its few flaws. All models of Junak are generally referred to as LWD Junak or WSK Junak, while the designation TS-9 is not commonly used. The designation IL Junak 3 sometimes appears in books. [edit] Operational history Junak 2s were used in the Polish Air Force as a basic trainer from 1952. When their replacement with Junak 3s started in 1954–1955, Junak 2s were withdrawn from the Air Force and handed over to civilian flying clubs. Junak 3s were used in the Polish military aviation from 1954 until 1961, when they were finally replaced with TS-8 Bies. Starting from 1956, they were handed over to the flying clubs as well. In the civilian aviation, 71 Junak 2s and 93 Junak 3s were distributed among aero clubs in the country, which suffered a shortage of suitable aircraft after the war. They were used there for pilot training and glider towing throughout the 1960s. The last Junak 2s and Junak 3s were retired in 1972. [edit] Variants
[edit] Operators
[edit] Survivors
[edit] Specifications (Junak 3)[edit] Description Mixed construction (steel and wood) trainer plane, conventional in layout, a low-wing monoplane. Fuselage of steel frame, covered with canvas, in front with metal sheet. Two-spar wings of wooden construction and trapezoid shape, canvas and plywood covered, fitted with split flaps. Two-seat cabin (front: instructor, rear: student) with a common closed canopy (front section opening to the right, rear section sliding). Conventional (Junak 2) or tricycle (Junak 3) fixed landing gear. 5 cylinder radial engine M-11FR with 119 kW (160 hp) maximum power and 104 kW (140 hp) normal power. Cylinders have individual cowls, often removed. Two-blade fixed pitch wooden propeller. Fuel: 80 l (Junak 2) or 100 l (Junak 3). The plane had no armament. Junak 3 was fitted with radio. General characteristics
Performance
[edit] See alsoRelated development Comparable aircraft [edit] References
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