PZL.4
PZL · Second Polish Republic · first flew 1932 · airliner
The PZL.4 was Poland's first domestically designed multi-engine airliner, a 10-passenger high-wing trimotor built to replace LOT Polish Airlines' imported Fokker trimotors.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 3 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 16.5 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- High-wing, corrugated-metal trimotor resembling a Ford Trimotor
- Three radial engines, one in the nose and one under each wing
- Boxy fixed undercarriage typical of early-1930s airliners
Its Ford Trimotor-style corrugated metal skin and high wing carrying three radial engines mark it as a classic early-1930s trimotor airliner.
Specifications
- The PZL.4 has a length of 16.5 m (54 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 24.4 m (80 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 190 km/h (118 mph).
- Typical crew: 2 (pilot and mechanic) plus 10 passengers.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
LOT ran a 1928 design contest for a modern successor to its Fokker F.VIIb/3m fleet; Polish engineer Zygmunt Bruner, working at the French Bernard works, won with his T-600 design, and PZL took the project home, completing detailed drawings under Stanisław Prauss and flying the sole prototype on 8 January 1932.
Variants
Only one PZL.4 was built; it did not proceed to series production.
Where you'll see it
LOT evaluated it from the autumn of 1932 until 1935, condemning it in 1936 and scrapping it in 1937, quickly superseded by more modern airliner types as Polish air transport matured.
Related aircraft
- PZL P.16
- PZL.19
- PZL P.11
- PZL P.24
- Airspeed Ferry
- Armstrong Whitworth Atalanta
- Fokker F.XVIII
- General Aviation GA-43
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