PZL M-3 Pliszka
PZL · Polish People's Republic · first flew 1959 · glider
The PZL M-3 Pliszka (Wagtail) was Poland's first all-metal sailplane, a single-seat glider built to explore metal construction techniques for the Polish gliding movement.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × none, embedded-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 6.74 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- All-metal high-wing sailplane with tapered wings
- No engine, propeller or exhaust visible anywhere on the airframe
- Single-seat enclosed cockpit ahead of the wing leading edge
A clean, high-wing, all-metal single-seat sailplane of late-1950s form, with no engine or propeller anywhere on the airframe.
Specifications
- The PZL M-3 Pliszka has a length of 6.74 m (22 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 14.32 m (47 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 300 km/h (186 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Designed by Zdzisław Żoka and built by PZL (then WSK), it first flew on 20 March 1959 with pilot S. Makaruk at the controls; only three examples were completed.
Variants
No major variants followed; its performance, particularly glide ratio, fell short of what Polish gliding clubs needed for wider adoption.
Where you'll see it
It never entered club service in numbers, remaining mainly a technology demonstrator for all-metal sailplane construction in Poland.
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