Silesia S-3
Pierwsza Śląska Fabryka Samolotów · Poland · first flew 1923 · light aircraft
The Silesia S-3 was the first design from the Polish Sopora brothers to fly. It was a low-powered, single-seat, high-wing light aircraft, and only one was built.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Flat-twin engine with its cylinders projecting outside the fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- High wing in two parts, wire-braced from a high central cabane
- Single open cockpit behind the upper cabane
- Flat-twin engine with its cylinders projecting outside the fuselage
A small fabric-covered high-wing monoplane with a flat-sided steel-tube fuselage, a tailplane on top of the fuselage, rounded fin and rudder, and a tailskid undercarriage.
Specifications
- The Silesia S-3 has a length of 4.5 m (15 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 8.6 m (28 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 100 km/h (62 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Edward, Paul and Wojciech Sopora set up an aircraft-building workshop at Chorzów in 1923, calling it the Pierwsza Śląska Fabryka Samolotów. The S-3 was powered by a 22 kW Haacke HFM-2 flat-twin and was completed by October 1923.
Variants
There were no other versions: a single S-3 was built, and its engine was later removed to power the Silesia S-4.
Where you'll see it
It made its first flight in early November 1923, piloted by Klosek. In official trials he made three flights of 10 to 15 minutes, reaching about 100 km/h, and it made short flights into 1924 before a landing accident ended its use.
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- Albatros L 59
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