SZD-15 Sroka
Szybowcowy Zakład Doświadczalny · Poland · first flew 1956 · glider
The SZD-15 Sroka (Magpie) was a Polish single-seat training glider designed and built in 1956.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × none, embedded-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 6.9 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Single-seat strut-braced high-wing glider of wooden construction
- Slotted ailerons and airbrakes on the wings
- Rubber-cushioned skid in the nose with a transport wheel, and a tail skid
A single-seat club training glider of typical wooden construction with plywood or fabric covering, with a wingspan of 14.5 m.
Specifications
- The SZD-15 Sroka has a length of 6.9 m (23 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 14.5 m (48 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 200 km/h (124 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Zbigniew Badura designed it to replace the IS-B Komar in the single-seat trainer role, at the request of the LPŻ. The first prototype, named Pionier, was flown on 25 February 1956 by Stanisław Skrzydlewski at Bielsko.
Variants
The second prototype, the SZD-15-2 Sroka, flew on 1 February 1957. The production version was the SZD-15A, of which 20 were built at Krosno in addition to the two prototypes.
Where you'll see it
The SZD-15A handled better than the IS-B Komar, but the solo training regime of the Polish Aero Clubs proved inefficient, so the remaining aircraft were used as club single-seaters until the mid-1970s. Two, including the first prototype, are preserved in the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków.
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