IIL IS-4
Intreprinderea de Industrie Locală (IIL) · Romania · first flew 1959 · glider
The IIL IS-4 was a single-seat, high-performance sailplane designed by Iosif Șilimon and built in Romania in the late 1950s.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × none, embedded-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 7.1 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- High-wing cantilever monoplane with double straight tapered wings and small streamlined bodies at the tips
- Single-piece perspex canopy over the single-seat cockpit, with a small roof transparency behind the wing leading edge
- Short rubber-sprung nose skid, a fixed monowheel under the wing and a tail bumper
It had an all-wood structure, largely plywood-skinned, with 2.5 degrees of dihedral on the wings and spoilers opening above and below. The tailplane was mounted on a small step above the fuselage, with a narrow fin and a broad rudder reaching down to the keel.
Specifications
- The IIL IS-4 has a length of 7.1 m (23 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 15 m (49 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 180 km/h (112 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Șilimon was Romania's most prominent glider designer from about 1950 until his death in 1981. The IS-4 first flew on 5 June 1959.
Variants
It was built by IIL and URMV-3 at Brașov, with the tips carrying small streamlined bodies known as salmons.
Where you'll see it
It was the first Romanian sailplane designed to meet the FAI Standard Class rules. Its best glide ratio was 30:1 at 80 km/h.
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