W.W.S.3 Delfin
Wojskowe Warsztaty Szybowcowe · Poland · first flew 1936 · glider
The WWS-3 Delphin was a single-seat glider designed and built in Poland from 1936. Wacław Czerwiński designed it as an all-wood high-performance glider with smooth lines derived from wind tunnel tests.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × none, embedded-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Semi-monocoque fuselage with an integral fin carrying the rudder |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Cantilever gull wings built as a divided pair
- Semi-monocoque fuselage with an integral fin carrying the rudder
- All-flying tailplane
Look for a smooth all-wood glider with gull wings and a pneumatically sprung nose skid. It spans 16 m.
Specifications
- The W.W.S.3 Delfin has a length of 6.97 m (23 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 16 m (52 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was designed to complement the W.W.S.1 Salamandra and W.W.S.2 Żaba, and first flew in the autumn of 1936. The first prototype was built with two alternative tailplanes and was evaluated in airworthiness trials in 1937.
Variants
Production aircraft were produced with the all-flying tail for pitch control. The Delphin was developed from the Skaut.
Where you'll see it
About 70 were built at W.W.S. and at the Lwów Aviation Workshops, and production continued until the outbreak of the Second World War. One example left behind in Denmark was refurbished for a gliding club.
Related aircraft
AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 8,606 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.