Valmet Tuuli III

Valmet · Finland · first flew 1957 · light aircraft

The Valmet Tuuli III was a Finnish four-seat, single-engine basic trainer built by Valmet and first flown on 31 May 1957. Only one prototype was built.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	8 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Finnish all-metal four-seat basic trainer of 1957
Low-wing monoplane with fixed undercarriage and side-by-side seating
Lost the Finnish Air Force competition to the Saab Safir

A low-wing monoplane with a single piston engine, fixed undercarriage and side-by-side seating for pilot and instructor, with further seats behind. It is a larger machine than most contemporary two-seat trainers.

Specifications

The Valmet Tuuli III has a length of 8 m (26 ft).
It has a wingspan of 11 m (36 ft).
Its maximum speed is 255 km/h (158 mph).
Typical crew: 1 + 3.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The Tuuli III followed the earlier Tuuli designs but was all-metal. The Tuuli II of 1951 had been destroyed in a crash within a month of its first flight. Despite positive feedback from Finnish Air Force squadrons, the cheaper Swedish Saab Safir was chosen in August 1958, and the Tuuli III is described as the last military aircraft designed in Finland until the Valmet Vinka of the 1970s.

Variants

Only the single Tuuli III prototype was built. It followed the single Tuuli II prototype of 1951, which was destroyed in a crash.

Where you'll see it

The prototype was tested by the Finnish Air Force but no production followed. It later flew in civil use in the 1980s and is preserved at the Finnish Aviation Museum.

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