W.W.S.1 Salamandra

Szybowcowy Zakład Doświadczalny · Poland · first flew 1936 · glider

The W.W.S.1 Salamandra was a Polish single-seat intermediate training glider first flown in 1936. It was designed for Polish aero clubs to provide pilots with soaring experience before transitioning to motorised aircraft.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × none, embedded-mounted
F — Fuselage	High-aspect-ratio straight wing on slender fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Unpowered sailplane — no engine
Polish 1930s intermediate training glider
High-aspect-ratio straight wing on slender fuselage

A light, unpowered high-wing sailplane with a narrow slab-sided fuselage, open cockpit, and long straight wings with moderate aspect ratio typical of 1930s Polish training gliders.

Specifications

The W.W.S.1 Salamandra has a length of 6.48 m (21 ft).
It has a wingspan of 12.48 m (41 ft).
Its maximum speed is 150 km/h (93 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

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

History

Built in the mid-1930s by the Polish glider manufacturing centre, the Salamandra was produced to equip the flourishing Polish gliding movement of the interwar period. Poland had an active gliding culture and produced numerous indigenous sailplane designs. The Salamandra was used at Polish aero clubs until the outbreak of World War II in 1939.

Variants

The W.W.S.1 was the primary form; related designs by the same design group included other training gliders of the period.

Where you'll see it

Operated by Polish aero clubs and gliding schools in the late 1930s; operations were terminated by the German and Soviet invasions of September 1939.

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