| L-40 Meta Sokol | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | Touring aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Orličan |
| First flight | 29 March 1956 |
| Status | in use |
| Primary user | Czechoslovakian aviation |
| Produced | 1957-1959 |
| Number built | 106 [1] |
The L-40 Meta Sokol was a Czechoslovakian sports and touring four-seat single-engine low-wing aircraft of the late 1950s.
A predecessor of the L-40 was a sports and touring plane M-1 Sokol of wooden construction. Next there was a sports plane with V-tail LD-40, designed by Zdenek Rublič. Its prototype XLD-40 was flown on 30 July 1950, however, it did not meet required performance and was abandoned. In 1954 the design of a further improved variant, the LD-40 started again, with the tail changed to a conventional one. The plane had a number of shortcomings, and further work continued. Eventually the aircraft was redesigned as a four-seater touring aircraft, under the designation L-40 Meta Sokol.
The prototype of the L-40, the XL-40, flew first on 29 March 1956. Another prototype flew in August 1956, introducing some simplification of construction. In 1957 the aircraft entered production, and by 1959, 106 were built. [1] The first series of 10 aircraft had 77 kW (103 hp) Walter Minor III-4 engine, with the remainder powered by more powerful (103 kW (138 hp)) Walter M-332 engines. Four persons sat in two rows, with dual controls. An unusual feature is the reversed tricycle gear, with main gear near the wing's leading edge and relatively big rear wheel near the wing's rear edge, which resulted in the fuselage being almost horizontal on the ground.
The primary user was the Czechoslovak civilian aviation. Over half of production was exported to 16 countries, among others to Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland and Australia. Several FAI world records were set on the L-40.
The L-40 Meta Sokol is a single-engine low-wing cantilever monoplane of metal construction. It features a fuselage built of a frame in the front part, of semi-monocoque in rear part, and is duralumin covered. Additionally, it features a duralumin covered trapezoid three-part wing, fitted with split flaps. It has a conventional tail, with its steering surfaces covered with canvas. The tail fin is high and trapezoidal. The plane has four seats in two rows, with twin controls in front. All are placed under a slim, partly glazed, rearwards-sliding canopy. At the rear, there is some luggage space. It has an inline engine in front, with a two-blade V-410 tractor propeller of a variable pitch. An unusual feature is its retractable reversed tricycle gear. The main gear's wheels are only half hidden in wings, making emergency landings safer. The aircraft's fuel tanks are in the wings, and small, teardrop-shaped tanks could be fitted to the wingtips.
Data from [2]
General characteristics
Performance
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
The PZL TS-8 Bies (Devil) is a Polish trainer aircraft, used from 1957 to the 1970s by the Polish Air Force and civilian aviation.
The Nakajima G8N Renzan was a four-engined, long-range bomber designed for use by the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Navy designation was "Type 18 land-based attack aircraft" (十八試陸上攻撃機); the Allied code name was Rita.
PZL M-4 Tarpan was a Polish trainer and sports aircraft prototype of the 1960s, designed in WSK-Mielec.
The PZL P.6 was a Polish fighter, designed by the engineer Zygmunt Puławski, manufactured by PZL state-owned factory. It remained a prototype and did not go into production.
PZL.26 was a Polish sports plane built in 1934 by the Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze. Ordered by the Ministry of Defence, it was specifically designed for the upcoming Challenge 1934 International Touring Aircraft Contest.
The MD-12 is a Polish four-engined short-range passenger and civil utility aircraft of the 1960s, which remained in the prototype stage. The PZL brand is conventional, since it did not enter production, and was referred to under its project designation only.
The Lublin R-XVI was a Polish passenger and air ambulance aircraft, designed in the 1930s in the Plage i Laśkiewicz factory in Lublin and built in a small series.
PZL.12 (PZL-H) was a prototype of a Polish amphibious flying boat designed and built in 1931 by Zygmunt Puławski, a pioneering Polish designer. He was killed in a crash involving this design.
The PZL.16 was a Polish passenger aircraft, designed in the early 1930s in the PZL in Warsaw. It remained a prototype.
The PZL Ł.2 was a Polish Army cooperation and liaison aircraft, built in 1929 in the Polskie Zakłady Lotnicze (PZL) in Warsaw. Only a small series of 31 aircraft, including prototype, were made, and used by the Polish Air Force in the 1930s. The aircraft was known in Poland for accomplishing of a long-distance tour around Africa in 1931.
The PWS-1 was a Polish two-seat fighter and reconnaissance aircraft constructed by Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów (PWS) in 1927. It remained a prototype for its entire lifespan.
The PZL.4 was a Polish three-engine passenger aircraft for 10 passengers, built in PZL factory in 1932, which remained a prototype. It was the first Polish-designed and produced multi-engine plane.
The PZL M-17 "Duduś Kudłacz" was a Polish twin-boom pusher general aviation and trainer aircraft of 1977, which remained a prototype.
The RWD 16bis and RWD 21 were Polish two-seat low-wing touring and sports planes of the late 1930s, constructed by the RWD bureau, sharing the same construction, main difference of the RWD 21 being a stronger engine.
The CGS Hawk is a family of high wing, strut-braced, pusher configuration, single and two-seats-in-tandem ultralight aircraft, designed by Chuck Slusarczyk and manufactured by CGS Aviation.
The Polikarpov VIT-2 was a Soviet twin-engined ground attack aircraft developed before World War II. A single prototype was built in 1938 for evaluation purposes. Although a promising design it was recommended that it be introduced into production as a high-speed dive bomber with a reduced armament to increase its speed.
The Polikarpov NB was a Soviet twin-engined bomber designed during World War II. Only a single prototype had been built before the program was terminated upon the death of Nikolai Nikolaevich Polikarpov, the head of the aircraft's design bureau, in 1944.
The Hy-Tek Hurricane 103 is a family of single-engined, high wing tricycle gear-equipped aircraft that were available in kit form from Hy-Tek Hurricane of Aurora, Oregon.
The Kawasaki KAT-1 is a Japanese primary trainer, seating two in tandem, designed to compete for a Japanese Air Defense Force (JADF) contract in the mid-1950s. Only two were completed.
The Kawasaki KAL-2 is a Japanese four/five seat, single engine aircraft, designed for both military and civil markets in the mid-1950s. Only two were completed.
