PZL P.24

infobox Aircraft
name = PZL P.24
type = fighter
manufacturer =PZL

---

caption =The second prototype of the PZL P.24
designer =Zygmunt Puławski
first flight =May 1933
introduced =1933
retired =
number built =
status =
unit cost =
primary user = Turkish Air Force
more users = Romanian Air Force Bulgarian Air Force Greek Air Force
developed from = PZL P.6
variants with their own articles =PZL P.11The PZL P.24 was a Polish fighter aircraft, designed in mid-1930s in the PZL factory in Warsaw. It was exported to several countries, but not used in Poland.

Development

The PZL P.24 was developed as an export version of the PZL P.11, a gull-wing all-metal fighter designed by Zygmunt Puławski. The P.11 was powered with a license-built Bristol Mercury engine. The license did not permit export sales, so the French Gnome-Rhône company proposed using their engines in the P.11. The first P.24/I prototype, based on the P.11a and powered by a Gnome-Rhône 14Kds convert|760|hp|abbr=on engine, was flown in May 1933. The second P.24/II prototype, named the "Super P.24", set a world speed record for radial engine-powered fighters (414 km/h). The third P.24/III prototype was the "Super P.24bis" with a more powerful 14Kfs engine. The type was shown at the Paris air show in 1934 attracting great interest from the participants.

In the meantime, a new version of the P.11, the P.11c, was developed for the Polish Air Force. It had a new refined fuselage, and the radial engine was lowered to give a pilot a better view. These changes were applied also to the new P.24 prototype, flown in 1936. This design used the whole tail fuselage section from the P.11c, was powered with a Gnome-Rhône 14Kfs engine (930 hp), and was armed with two 20 mm cannons and two machine guns. It entered production as the P.24A. The P.24B version was armed with four machine guns; the P.24C was armed with four machine guns and two 50 kg bombs.

The P.24D was developed for sale to Hungary, but it was not completed, since Hungary purchased the Fiat CR.32 instead. The P.24E version was license-built in Romania by IAR as the IAR P.24E.

The last two production versions were the P.24F and P.24G, produced from 1937 and powered with the more powerful convert|970|hp|abbr=on Gnome-Rhône 14N07 engine. The P.24F was armed with four machine guns, while the P.24G was armed with two cannons and four machine guns; both could carry bombs.

The P.24H was to be powered with a Gnome-Rhône 14N21 engine (1,100 hp) and carry four cannons or two cannons and two machine guns, but it was not completed. The P.24H was considered for purchase by the Polish Air Force, but progress was slow due to the P.24's similarity to the PZL P.11, which was already in service, and also interest in the hypothetically superior PZL.50 Jastrząb then under development. World War II started before any of these plans could be realized.

Operational history

Despite being a better fighter than the P.11, the P.24 was not acquired by the Polish Air Force, which preferred to wait for the PZL.50. When it became clear the PZL.50 would not be ready in time to counter the imminent German attack, the PAF resumed production of the P.11 and ordered the P.24. However, no PZL.24s were produced before the war started, and none were used in the Polish Campaign in 1939. The aircraft had greater success abroad, though.

;Turkey: Turkish P.24s were used for training until the late 1940s. Some were refitted with Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engines. The only surviving example of a PZL P.24 in the world is a museum piece in Turkey. Photographs of the Turkish museum piece show a variety of serial numbering (2015, 2017, 2147) and are shot on different locations (Ankara and Istanbul), suggesting that there maybe more than one survivor(This is not the case, however, and there is only one example in Turkish possession: the airplane has simply been repainted with different numbers over the years. The real airplane is in the Istanbul Aviation Museum, and at least one full-scale fiberglass replica is exhibited in other museums in Turkey).

;Greece: The PZL P.24 was the main Greek fighter at a time of the Italian attack in 1940, and engaged Italian bombers during the Greco-Italian War.

;Romania: The Romanian Air Force already used PZL P.11f built under license in the IAR factory, and decided to acquire the P.24 as well. Romania bought 6 P.24E and a production license, and built 44 IAR P.24E aircraft at the IAR factory between 1937 and 1939. Some components of the P.24E, mainly its tail section, were used in construction of the Romanian low-wing fighter IAR 80.

Technical description

The aircraft was conventional in layout, with high wings. It was all-metal and metal-covered. The wings had a gull-wing shape, with a thin profile close to the fuselage, to provide a good view for the pilot. This configuration was developed by Zygmunt Pulawski and called "the Polish wing". The canopy was closed (apart from prototypes). An internal 360 liter fuel tank in the fuselage could be dropped in case of fire emergency. It had conventional fixed landing gear, with a rear skid.

The armament was a combination of 20 mm Oerlikon FF cannons and 7.92 mm Colt-Browning machine guns in the wings.
*P.24A, P.24E and P.24F had two cannons and two machine guns.
*P.24B, P.24C and P.24G had four machine guns.

The P.24A and B models could carry 4 x 12.5 kg bombs, while the P.24C, F and G could carry 2 x 50 kg bombs.

Operators

;flag|Bulgaria|1878
*The Bulgarian Air Force ordered 14 PZL P.24B in 1937-1938. It later ordered 26 PZL P.24F, 22 of which were delivered from Poland in July 1939, just before the outbreak of World War II (Poland considered stopping the delivery, but feared financial penalties). The remaining four, lacking propellers, were bombed in the Okecie factory in September 1939 by the Germans.

;flag|Greece|old
*The Greek Air Force first bought five P.24As in 1937, then 25 P.24Fs and 6 P.24Gs in 1938.

;flag|Romania
*The Romanian Air Force ordered 6 PZL P.24E fighters in 1937 and built 44 IAR P.24E aircraft under license.

;TUR
*The Turkish Air Force ordered 14 P.24A and 26 P.24C, delivered by 1937. Another 20 P.24A/Cs were built under license in Turkey in Kayseri, followed by an additional 30 P.24G aircraft.

pecifications

aircraft specifications

jet or prop?=prop
plane or copter?=plane

crew=1
capacity=fighter
length main=7.81 m
length alt=25 ft 7 in
span main=10.68M
span alt=35 ft 1 in
height main=2.7 m
height alt=8 ft 19 in
area main=17.90 m²
area alt=192.7 ft²
empty weight main=1330 kg
empty weight alt=2,930 lb
loaded weight main=1915 kg
loaded weight alt=4,220 lb
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=2000 kg
max takeoff weight alt=4,400 lb
engine (jet)=
type of jet=
number of jets=
thrust main=
thrust alt=
engine (prop)=
type of prop=14-cylinder double row radial engines: P.24A, B, C: Gnome-Rhône 14Kfs, P.24E: Gnome-Rhône 14K IIc32, P.24F, G: Gnome-Rhône 14N07
number of props=1
power main= P.24A, B, C: 900 hp / 930 hp (max) (Gnome-Rhône 14Kfs), P.24E: 900 hp / 930 hp (max)(Gnome-Rhône 14K IIc32), P.24F, G: 950 hp / 970 hp (max) (Gnome-Rhône 14N07)
power alt=P.24A, B, C: 671 kW / 693 kW (max) (Gnome-Rhône 14Kfs), P.24E: 671 kW / 693 kW (max) (Gnome-Rhône 14K IIc32), P.24F, G: 709 kW / 723 kW (max) (Gnome-Rhône 14N07)
max speed main=430 km/h
max speed alt=270 mph
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
range main=550 km
range alt=340 mi
ceiling main=10,500 m
ceiling alt=34,449 ft
climb rate main= 11.5 m/s
climb rate alt=2,260 ft/min
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=0.376 kW/kg
power/mass alt=0.230 hp/lb
armament=
* 2 Oerlikon FF cannons and 2 MG's (P.24A, P.24E and P.24F),
* 4 MGs (P.24B, P.24C and P.24G),
* 4 x 12.5 kg (4 x 28 lb) bombs (P.24A and B),
* 2 x 50 kg (2 x 110 lb) bombs (P.24C, F and G).

ee also

aircontent
related=
* PZL P.7
* PZL P.11
* IAR-80
similar aircraft=
* Dewoitine D.371
* Loire 46
* Ikarus IK-2
* Polikarpov I-153
* Fiat CR.42
* Gloster Gladiator
sequence=
PZL P.11 - PZL.19 - PZL.23 - PZL P.24 - PZL.26 - PZL.27 - PZL.30
lists=
* List of fighter aircraft

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Cynk, Jerzy B. "Polish Aircraft 1893-1939". London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1971. ISBN 0-370-00085-4.
* Cynk, Jerzy B. "The P.Z.L. P-24 (Aircraft in Profile no. 170)". Leatherhead, Surrey, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1967.
* Eberspacher, Warren and Koniarek, Jan P. "PZL Fighters Part Three - P.24 Variants". Austin, CO: Creative & Customized Support, 2002.
* Glass, Andrzej. "Polskie konstrukcje lotnicze 1893-1939" (in Polish). Warszawa, Poland: WKiŁ, 1976. No ISBN.
* Glass, Andrzej. "PZL P.24 (Wydawnictwo Militaria 2)" (in Polish). Warszawa, Poland: Wydawnictwo Militaria, 1994. ISBN 83-86209-13-5.
* Glass, Andrzej. "PZL P.24 A-G (Monographie no.7)" (Bilingual Polish/English). Lublin, Poland: Kagero, 2004. ISBN 83-89088-33-9.
* Green, William. "War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Three: Fighters". London: Macdonald & Co.(Publishers) Ltd., 1961. ISBN 0-356-01447-9.
* Napier, Sid. "Le PZL P.24 en Grèce" (In French), "AirMagazine No34", Oct-Nov 2006.
* Skulski, Przemyslaw. "PZL P.24 (Seria "Pod Lupą" 15)" (in Polish with English captions). Wrocław, Poland: ACE Publication, 2002. ISBN 83-86153-24-5.
* Skulski, Przemyslaw. "PZL P.24, The Last Polish Gull-wing Fighter", "Scale Aviation Modeller International", Vol. 10, Issue 9, September 2004.

External links

** [http://imansolas.freeservers.com/Aces/The%20Greek%20PZL%20fighters.html The Greek pilots fighting with PZLs - 1940]