PZL P.11 – WalkAround

Den PZL S.11 was a Polish fighter aircraft, designed and constructed during the early 1930s by Warsaw-based aircraft manufacturer PZL. Possessing an all-metal structure, metal-covering, and high-mounted gull wing, the type held the distinction of being widely considered to have briefly been the most advanced fighter aircraft of its kind in the world. The design of the P.11 commenced during the late 1920s, initially designated as the P.1. The primary individual responsible for its development was Polish aeronautical engineer Zygmunt Puławski, who has been attributed as having designed many of its innovative features. While the majority of the world’s forces were still using biplanes, the P.1 used a high-mounted and aerodynamically clean gull wing, which provided the pilot with a superior field of view. During September 1929, the first prototype conducted its maiden flight. The design quickly drew international attention; the general layout became commonly known as the “Polish wing” or “Puławski wing”.

Kilde: PZL S.11 på Wikipedia

PZL P.11 var et polsk kampfly, der blev designet og produceret i 1930'erne af PZL-selskabet. Det var en af de mest avancerede krigere i verden, da den først fløj i 1931, med en metalkonstruktion, et højvinget monoplanlayout og et mågevingedesign. PZL P.11 tjente som hovedjager i det polske luftvåben under invasionen af Polen i 1939, hvor den stod over for overlegne tyske jagere som Messerschmitt Bf 109 og Junkers Ju 87. På trods af at de var i undertal og udklasseret, kæmpede PZL P.11-piloterne modigt og scorede mange sejre mod Luftwaffe. PZL P.11 betragtes som et symbol på polsk modstand og heltemod under Anden Verdenskrig.