Pazmany PL-1

PL-2
Pazmany PL-2 at Winter Haven Airport, Florida, in 2011
Role	Two-seat trainer
Manufacturer	Pazmany Aircraft Corporation
Designer	Ladislao Pazmany
First flight	1962
Primary users	Republic of China Air Force Indonesian Air Force

The Pazmany PL-1 Laminar and Pazmany PL-2 are American two-seat trainer and personal light aircraft designed by Ladislao Pazmany to be marketed as a homebuilt aircraft by his company Pazmany Aircraft Corporation. The aircraft was built under licence in Taiwan (Republic of China) as the AIDC PL-1B Cheinshou. It was later followed by an improved version the PL-2.

Development

The PL-1 Laminar was the first design by Ladislao Pazmany, it was intended to be marketed for the homebuilt market. The prototype first flew on the 23 March 1962. The PL-1 is a cantilever low-wing monoplane with a fixed tricycle landing gear. It has side-by-side seating for a crew of two and is powered by a 95 hp (71 kW) Continental C-90 piston engine. The Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) acquired plans and built a PL-1 for evaluation with a first flight on 26 October 1968. AIDC then built 58 aircraft designated the PL-1B for the Republic of China Air Force and fitted with a 150 hp (112 kW) Avco Lycoming O-320 engine.

Soon after the first flight Pazmany produced an improved design, the PL-2 which had a slight increase in cockpit width and changes to the structure to make it easier for homebuilders. The PL-2 was evaluated by a number of air forces in south-east Asia. It was built under license in Indonesia as the Lipnur LT-200.

Variants

PL-1

Original design for home-built light aircraft

PL-1B

Licence built variant by AIDC with a 150hp (112kW) Avco Lycoming O-320 engine, 58 built.

PL-2

More rounded, wider cockpit, increased wing dihedral.^[1][2]

LT-200

Licence built variant by Lipnur (Indonesia).

Operators

Republic of China Air Force PL-1B primary trainer

 Indonesia

• Indonesian Air Force LT-200(PL-2)

 Sri Lanka

• Sri Lanka Air Force

 South Vietnam

• Vietnam Air Force - One aircraft only, no longer in service. Named the Tien Phong "Pioneer", built under U.S supervision. Plans for additional aircraft were cancelled in 1972^[3]

 Taiwan (Republic of China)

• Republic of China Air Force (PL-1)(PL-1A)(PL-1B)
• Republic of China Army (PL-1B)

Specifications (LT-200)

Data from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985), 1985, Orbis Publishing, Page 2694

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 19 ft 3½ in (5.88 m)
• Wingspan: 28 ft 0 in (8.53 m)
• Height: 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m)
• Wing area: 116.0 ft² (10.78 m²)
• Empty weight: 904 lb (410 kg)
• Gross weight: 1609 lb (730 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Avco Lycoming O-320-E2A flat-four piston, 150 hp (112 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 152 mph (245 km/h)
• Endurance: 5 hours  30 min
• Service ceiling: 14,995 ft (4570 m)

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to AIDC PL-1.

• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985), 1985, Orbis Publishing, Page 2694