PWS-18

The PWS-18 was a Polish trainer aircraft, used from 1937 to 1939 by the Polish Air Force, a modified licence variant of the British Avro Tutor.

Development

In 1934, the Polish government, looking for an intermediate military trainer, bought two Avro Tutor trainer aircraft together with a licence to produce the aircraft. Production was ordered in the PWS (Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów - Podlasie Aircraft Factory). In 1935, Antoni Uszacki of PWS modified the design, fitting it with a Wright Whirlwind engine, produced under licence in Poland. The new engine cowling was much longer than the previous Townend ring type, with a carburetor air intake below it. The wing construction was changed from metal to wooden, better fitted to PWS capabilities, and the rectangular wing tips were rounded. Also some other details were changed, such as a tailskid instead of a tailwheel.

A series of 40 aircraft was built in 1935-1936 (1936-1937 according to some sources). They were assigned military numbers 80-1 to 80-40. They were not produced in larger numbers because a successful indigenous Polish advanced trainer, the PWS-26, using the same engine, was designed and entered production.

Operational history

PWS-18s were used in the Polish military aviation, among others in Airforce Training Center in Dęblin, an NCO school for minors in Bydgoszcz and in training escadres of air regiments. None survived World War II.

Operators

Template:POL

• Polish Air Force

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: 1, instructor
• Capacity: 1, student
• Length: 8 m (26 ft 2⅞ in)
• Wingspan: 10.98 m (36 ft ⅛in)
• Height: 2.92 m (9 ft 6⅞ in)
• Wing area: 29.40 m² (316 ft²)
• Empty weight: 926 kg (2,037 lb)
• Loaded weight: 1,220 kg (2,684 lb)
• Powerplant: 1× Avia Wright Whirlwind J-5B air-cooled 9-cylinder radial, 240 hp / 220 hp nominal (176 kW / 162 kW nominal)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 196 km/h (106 knots, 122 mph)
• Range: 465 km (251 nm, 289 mi)
• Service ceiling: 4,900 m (16,000 ft)
• Rate of climb: 5 m/s (980 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 41.5 kg/m² (8.49 lb/ft²)
• Power/mass: 0.144 kW/kg (0.0894 hp/lb)

Armament

• 1 x 7.92 mm machinegun, pilot's or observer's (optional),
• 2 x 12-kg bombs (optional)

See also

Related development

• Avro Tutor

Comparable aircraft

• PWS-26

Designation sequence
PWS-12 - PWS-14 - PWS-16 - PWS-18 - PWS-19 - PWS-20 - PWS-21

References

Bibliography

• Domański, Jerzy. "Samolot szkolno-treningowy PWS-18" (in Polish) Żołnierz Polski, nr 5/1991.
• Glass, Andrzej and Cieślak, Krzysztof. "Samoloty i szybowce do 1939 roku" (in Polish) Barwa w lotnictwie polskim nr. 1. Warszawa, Poland: WKiŁ, 1985. ISBN 83-206-0456-7

External links

• Photos and drawing at Ugolok Neba page

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "PWS-18".