View source for LWD Junak

{{distinguish|PWS-40 Junak}}
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
{{Infobox aircraft
  |name =LWD/WSK Junak 
  |image =File:Junak3.jpg
  |caption =Junak 3
  |type =Trainer 
  |manufacturer =[[Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze|WSK-Okęcie]]
  |design_group =[[Lotnicze Warsztaty Doświadczalne|LWD]] bureau ([[Tadeusz Sołtyk]])
  |first_flight =February 22, 1948 
  |introduction =1952
  |retired =1972 
  |status =
  |primary_user = [[Polish Air Force]]
  |more_users = [[Polish Aero Club]]
  |produced =1951-1956
  |number_built =252
  |unit cost =
  |variants =[[LWD Zuch]]
}}

The '''LWD/WSK Junak''' was a Polish [[trainer aircraft]], used from 1952 to 1961 by the [[Polish Air Force]] and until 1972 by Polish civilian operators. It was designed by the [[Lotnicze Warsztaty Doświadczalne|LWD]] bureau and produced by the [[Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze|WSK Warszawa-Okęcie]] factory.

==Development==
The aircraft was designed in response to a Polish Air Force requirement of 1946 for a trainer to replace the Soviet [[Yakovlev UT-2|UT-2]], which was obsolete. The new aircraft was designed in 1947 in the LWD (''[[Lotnicze Warsztaty Doświadczalne]]'' - Aircraft Experimental Workshops) - the first Polish post-war construction bureau. The chief designer was [[Tadeusz Sołtyk]]. A prototype named the LWD Junak, later the Junak 1, was flown on February 22, 1948 (its name means "brave young man"). The entire design was Polish, except for the engine, which was a license-built Soviet radial, the [[Shvetsov M-11]]D (93&nbsp;kW, 125&nbsp;hp).

After tests, an improved variant, the Junak 2 was flown on July 12, 1949. Notable changes from the Junak 1 included the cockpit being moved forward, the fin being increased in area, a more powerful M-11FR engine (118&nbsp;kW, 160&nbsp;hp) was fitted and the massive landing gear covers were deleted. The plane's handling improved. The LWD team disbanded in 1950 and Junak 2 development was continued by the [[Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze|CSS]] workshops in Warsaw. After further improvements the prototype was designated the Junak-2bis, but finally entered production in 1951 as the Junak-2. Tadeusz Sołtyk was given a State Award in 1952 for the design. From 1951 to 1954, 105 Junak 2s were produced in the [[Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze|WSK-Okęcie]] in Warsaw (the first 3 in the [[WSK-Mielec]]).

Tadeusz Sołtyk, then working in the Aviation Institute (''Instytut Lotnictwa'' - IL) in Warsaw, proposed a Junak development with a [[bubble canopy]], retractable [[landing gear]] and other improvements, designated the TS-7 Chwat, but it was not ordered by the authorities and remained on the drawing board. Instead, when the Polish Air Force was equipped with its first [[jet aircraft|jet]] fighters, (the [[Yakovlev Yak-23|Yak-23]] and [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15|MiG-15]]), there appeared to be a need for a trainer with a [[tricycle landing gear]]. Sołtyk  designed a modified Junak with a fixed tricycle landing gear and other minor improvements. This plane entered production as the TS-9 Junak 3 ("TS" standing for the designer's initials), after having first flown on August 7, 1953. The new plane was heavier, its maximum speed dropped from 223&nbsp;km/h (139&nbsp;mph) to 205&nbsp;km/h (128&nbsp;mph). Between 1953 and 1956, 146 Junak 3s were produced in WSK Warszawa-Okęcie.

Along with the Junak 1, the LWD developed a civilian trainer and aerobatics variant, the [[LWD Zuch]]. Only 5 Zuch 2s were built in 1950, powered by a 116&nbsp;hp [[Bramo Sh 14]] radial engine.

The Junak was the first aircraft mass-produced in Poland after [[World War II]], the Polish aviation industry having been annihilated. Despite not being particularly modern, it was a stable and easy-to-handle aircraft, with an uncomfortable cockpit being one of its few flaws. On the other hand, it was considered a difficult aircraft to learn to fly, because a student in a rear cockpit had worse view.<ref name=krosno/> All models of Junak are generally referred to as LWD Junak or WSK Junak, while the designation TS-9 is not commonly used. The designation IL Junak 3 sometimes appears in books.

==Design==
The aircraft was of mixed construction (steel and wood) and conventional in layout. The fuselage consisted of a steel frame, covered with canvas, in front with metal sheet. It had two-spar wings of wooden construction and a trapezoidal shape; they were covered with canvas and plywood and were fitted with split [[Flap (aircraft)|flaps]]. It had a two-seat cabin (front: instructor, rear: student) with a common closed [[aircraft canopy|canopy]] (front section opening to the right, rear section sliding). [[Landing gear]] was conventional (Junak 2) or tricycle (Junak 3) and fixed. A 5-cylinder M-11FR [[radial engine]] gave 119&nbsp;kW (160&nbsp;hp) of maximum power and 104&nbsp;kW (140&nbsp;hp) normal power. The cylinders have individual cowls, which were often removed. The aircraft was fitted with a two-blade fixed pitch wooden propeller. It carried 80 liters (Junak 2) or 100 liters (Junak 3) of fuel. The plane had no armament. The Junak 3 was fitted with a radio.

==Operational history==
[[File:LWD-Junak-3 PICT0033.JPG|thumb|right|A Junak-3 in the [[Polish Aviation Museum]]]]
Junak 2s were used in the [[Polish Air Force]] as a basic trainer from 1952. When their replacement, with Junak 3s, started in 1954–55, the Junak 2s were withdrawn from the Air Force and handed over to civilian flying clubs.

Junak 3s were used in Polish military aviation from 1954 until 1961, when they were finally replaced with the [[TS-8 Bies]]. Starting from 1956, they were handed over to flying clubs as well.

In civilian aviation, 71 Junak 2s and 93 Junak 3s were distributed among [[Polish Aero Club|aero clubs]], who suffered a shortage of suitable aircraft after the war. They were used for pilot training and [[Glider (sailplane)|glider]] towing throughout the 1960s. The last Junak 2s and Junak 3s were retired in 1972.

In 1963 a group of 12 African pilot trainees from Algeria, Togo and Angola were taught to fly at [[Krosno]], Poland, and they flew Junak 3.<ref name=krosno>Ireneusz Materniak. ''Moja chcieć latać, afrykański ślad w Krośnie'' in: "Aeroplan" No.3/2006, p.11 {{in lang|pl}}</ref>

==Variants==
;Junak 1
:Prototype.
;Junak 2
:First serial produced variant, 105 aircraft built.
;TS-9 Junak 3
:Fixed [[tricycle landing gear]] version, 146 aircraft built.

==Operators==
;{{POL}}
* [[Polish Air Force]]
* [[Polish Aero Club]] (APRL)

==Surviving aircraft==
;Junak-1 (SP-GLA)
:Preserved in the [[Polish Aviation Museum]] in [[Kraków]] (damaged and disassembled as of 2008).
;Junak-2 (SP-ADM)
:Preserved in the [[Polish Aviation Museum]] in [[Kraków]] (disassembled as of 2008).
;Junak-3 (SP-BPL)
:Preserved in the [[Polish Aviation Museum]] in [[Kraków]].

==Specifications (Junak 3)==
[[File:LWS JUNAK.JPG|thumb|right|A Junak 3 in the Polish Aviation Museum in [[Kraków]]]]
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=''The Aircraft of the World,<ref name=TAotW>{{cite book |last=Green |first=William |title=The Aircraft of the World |year=1965 |page=102 |publisher=Macdonald & Co (Publishers) Ltd |isbn=<!--none-->}}</ref> Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1958-59<ref name=JAWA58-59>{{cite book |title=Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1958-59 |editor1-last=Bridgman |editor1-first=Leonard |year=1958 |publisher=Jane's All the World's Aircraft Publishing Co. Ltd. |location=London |pages=210–211}}</ref>''
|prime units?=met
<!--
        General characteristics
-->
|crew=2
|length m=7.75
|length note=
|span m=10
|span note=
|height m=2.5
|height note=
|wing area sqm=17.5
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->
|airfoil='''root:''' [[NACA airfoil|NACA 23012]]; '''tip:''' [[NACA airfoil|NACA 23009]]
|empty weight kg=818
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=1083
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight kg=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity={{cvt|100|L|USgal impgal|1}} in port centre-section tank
|more general=
<!--
        Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=[[Shvetsov M-11FR]]
|eng1 type=5-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine
|eng1 hp=160
|eng1 note=maximum power at 1,900 rpm
::::{{cvt|140|hp|order=flip|0}} rated power at 1,760 rpm

|prop blade number=2
|prop name=Type J-6 fixed-pitch propeller
|prop dia m=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia note=

<!--
        Performance
-->
|max speed kmh=205
|max speed note=
|cruise speed kmh=180
|cruise speed note=at {{cvt|1000|m}}
|stall speed kmh=100
|stall speed note=flaps up
|never exceed speed kmh=380
|never exceed speed note=
|range km=450
|range note=
|ferry range km=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=2.5 hours
|ceiling m=4100
|ceiling note=
|g limits=<!-- aerobatic -->
|roll rate=<!-- aerobatic -->
|climb rate ms=3.5
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|wing loading kg/m2=62
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|power/mass={{cvt|0.067|hp/lb|order=flip}}
|more performance=<br/>
*'''Take-off run:''' {{cvt|155|m}}<ref name="Kempski">{{cite book |last1=Kempski |first1=Benedykt |title=Samolot szkolno-treningowy Junak |date=1986 |publisher=Wydaw. Min. Obrony Narodowej |location=Warsaw |isbn=83-11-07341-4 |language=Polish}}</ref>
*'''Landing run:''' {{cvt|140|m}}<ref name="Kempski"/>

|avionics=
}}

==See also==
{{aircontent|
|related=
*[[LWD Zuch]] 
|similar aircraft=<!-- similar or comparable aircraft -->
*[[CAC Winjeel]]
*[[De Havilland Chipmunk]]
*[[Fiat G.49]]
*[[Macchi M.B.323]]
*[[Percival Prentice]]
*[[Percival Provost]]
*[[Piaggio P.150]]
*[[Yakovlev Yak-11]]
*[[Yakovlev Yak-18]]
*[[Zlin Trener|Zlin Z-26 Trener]]
|lists=<!-- related lists -->
|see also=<!-- other relevant information -->
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Krzyżan, Marian. ''Samoloty w muzeach polskich'', Wydawnictwo WKiŁ, Warsaw 1983, {{ISBN|978-83-206-0432-0}} {{in lang|pl}}

==External links==
{{commons category|LWD Junak}}
*[http://www.airwar.ru/enc/la/junak.html Photos at Ugolok Neba site]

{{LWD aircraft}}
{{PZL aircraft}}

[[Category:LWD aircraft|Junak]]
[[Category:1940s Polish civil trainer aircraft]]
[[Category:1940s Polish military trainer aircraft]]
[[Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft]]
[[Category:Low-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1948]]