Development
By the early 1980s, WSK-Mielec was aware that the economics of aerial application in agriculture varied according to the characteristics of the land being treated. [6] One relevant factor was the size of the plot, where a larger aircraft is more cost-effective for treating a larger area of land, and a smaller aircraft more cost-effective for a smaller area. [6] The company therefore decided to manufacture a range of agricultural aircraft of different sizes, based on the already-proven M-18 design. [6] [7] This member of the family was intended for smaller areas of land, up to about 50 hectares (120 acres). [8]
The M-21 was designed to retain as much commonality with the M-18 as possible; ultimately around 70% was achieved. [1] [9] Common areas included the cabin, rear fuselage, empennage, outer wing panels, and mainwheels. [1] [9] The desire to maximise this commonality resulted in an overall weight greater than what would otherwise have been necessary. [10]
Design work commenced in January 1980 and was concluded by June that year. [1] Construction of the first prototype began in August 1981, and it first flew on 18 June 1982. [1] Three prototypes were built: two for flight testing and one for static tests. [1] [9]
The prototypes were tested from 1982 to 1986, when the design was certified. [8] However, PZL did not have capacity to manufacture the design alongside the company's existing programs and no further examples were built. [8]
A turboprop version, the M-21T, powered by a Walter M601A, was designed but never constructed. [11]
This page is based on this
Wikipedia article Text is available under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
