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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 1048.PDF
194 FLIGHT, 3 August 1956 AEROBATIC CZECH Handling the Zlin Trener 6 ACCUSTOMED to the very limited and stereotyped aero-batic repertoire that one normally associates with typicalBritish trainers such as the Tiger Moth and Magister, I viewed the prospect of flying and writing about a really fully aerobatic aeroplane with mixed feelings of enthusiasm and appre- hension. I had seen the Zlin Trener put through the usual Continental manoeuvres such as inverted climbs, bunts, inverted- return stall turns and all the fun of the fair, and I had enjoyed every minute of it. However, the worrying part was the realiza- tion that thousands of others had seen its capabilities too, and to present a true appreciation of the type I would be expected to make similar diversions from the straight and narrow path. The Moravian Zlin 226 Trener 6 is the latest of a long series of similar designs which have followed a logical line of develop- ment along the years. Increased power and internal refinements are the main changes from its predecessors, the Z.22, Z.26 and Z.I26. The Trener 6 depends for its performance on the Walter Minor 6-III, an inverted six-cylinder air-cooled unit claimed to produce 160 h.p. at 2,500 r.p.m. Technically, the aircraft itself offers nothing unduly startling, but everything seems to be in the right place and most parts that should be accessible are so. Of basic metal construction, the machine incorporates stressed- skin wings and fixed tail surfaces, but the fuselage has only fabric covering over the clearly-visible tube structure. This is perhaps my first point of criticism, for pupils' feet are clumsy—not only when in the air but also when blundering into and out of cockpits. Cowlings and accessories are very neat and the engine is a tight fit, accessible through upward-hinged side cowls, while all other removable panels are of the customary stud-fastened variety. Fuselage inspection is via Auster-type zips, while sec- tions of the wing leading-edge and other parts that should be looked into from time to time can be peered at by the removal of a few flush-fitting flat-headed screws. The undercarriage, like all other components, is of very clean layout, the main legs being cantilever oleo units with faired upper struts with oil- and grit-protecting rubber hose over the extendable portions down to the wheels, which wear 420 x 150 Barum Aero covers. The legs are similar in track and angle of splay to those of the Moth Minor, which could be a source of some trouble when operating in training conditions from a cross-wind runway. The tailwheel unit, on the other hand, is highly commendable and steers with the rudder. It has more than ample damping through a strut boasting at least three inches of tube-extension, and the wheel carries a 290 x 85 anti-shim tyre, also by Barum. Walking round the aeroplane on a form of pre-flight check, one sees other items of note, such as the combined pitot/static head under the port wing; an ingenious aerofoil mass-balance for the ailerons, mounted well below the control's c. of g., adjustable for position and therefore presumably for effect by a simple screw- thread; and large ground-trim tabs on the trailing edges of ailerons and rudder. In-fiiglit trim, again provided by a tab mounted well behind the control itself, is available on the eleva- tors only. Split, four-section trailing-edge flaps are fitted and there is also a very sturdy glider-towing attachment. By DAVID F. OGILVY FOLLOWING its appearance in the British Lockheed Trophy acro-batic contest at Baginton on July 20 and 21, the Zlin Trener 6 OK-JEB was demonstrated at Elstree on July 22, by arrangement with theAssociation of British Aero Clubs and Centres. In these pages the manager and chief flying instructor at Elstree Flying Club describeshis impressions of this lively visitor. Fuel capacity varies from 115 litres (25 gal) in the touring Z.226B to 80 litres (17.6 gal) in the 226T. Fuel is carried in wing tanks, inboard of which on the port side is an oil tank of 11 litres (2.4 gal) with a cooling shutter controllable on the ground only. The seven-gallon hourly consumption of the Walter Minor 6 gives a reasonable endurance in either case. Access to the tandem cockpits is by a walkway on either wing, and although solo flying must be carried out from the rear seat, most controls are duplicated for use by either occupant. Layout in the front, from left to right, starts with the throttle and mixure controls (the former conforming to modern practice by running along a groove in the wall in the manner of a Meteor), below which is a friction nut and an elevator trimmer. The latter is a small wheel, very restricted in travel, stiff to move and far too sensitive for comfortable use. To the left of the seat is a lever for seat adjustment, a refinement rarely found on so small an aero- plane, while under the coaming on the same side we find the fuel selector control marked "Shut," "Tank" and "Reserve." A very adequate map-case is fitted to the cockpit wall, whilst on the facia before reaching the instrument panel we have the controls for the master switch, and navigation and instrument lights. The instruments themselves are mounted on a well-damped panel that appears to be rather smaller than is standard British practice. With calibrations in metric figures the airspeed indicator and altimeter occupy the left side, next to which is an attractive and dear-reading American-type floating compass (with a grid ring for easy comparison between the selected heading and that actually being maintained). A turn-and-slip indicator, V.S.I, and rev. counter (the most compact I have ever seen) occupy the remaining three positions on the panel, and instrumentation is completed with a dial for oil temperature and a combined oil/fuel pressure gauge. Starting is possible from the rear seat only, and the procedure is a trifle more complex than one expects with an elementary trainer. There is no parking brake, so the toe pedals must be kept depressed or chocks positioned; preferably, of course, both. The electrical master switch is kicked on with the right foot, fuel is selected "on" and pumped by hand from the tank to the engine, and then two or three shots are injected with the primer before the American-style ignition key is switched from 0 through 1, 2 to 1+2. By this stage, before opening half-an-inch of throttle and pressing the starter button, one is clearly reminded of the Harvard and the need for a third hand to deal with the wobble pump, energizing switch and other absurdities that seem necessary only on aircraft that play at being complicated. A fire-extinguisher button, an electrical test panel for the generator, starter and instruments, and a three-position flap lever complete the rear cockpit's array of extras. Recent appearances at Coventry (where Blaha came second in the Lockheed Aerobatic Trophy) and Elstree have demonstrated the agility of the Trener 6. In the four "Flight" photographs below, typical attitudes in a halt-roll sequence are shown to advantage by the Czech pilot.
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