Poland's PZL P-24, PZL P.24 fighter

Photos

A wrecked Greek PZL P-24 fighter:

Design

Zygmunt Pulawski was the chief designer but died in an accident on March 31, 1931.¹ The PZL P-24 was designed in 1933.²

The P-24 was based on the P-11.¹

Wing

The wing was similar to a gulls to help the pilot see.^1,2

Fuselage

The airframe was all metal with a metal skin.¹

Landing Gear

The landing gar was fixed.^1,2

Cockpit

The cockpit of the PZL P-24 was completely enclosed.²

Prototype

The P-24 prototype first flew in May 1933.^1,2

Captain Boleslaw Orlinski flew the second prototype to an international speed record for its type on June 26, 1934.^1,2 In 1934 the PZL P-24 was declared the world's fastest and best armed interceptor at the Salon Internationale de l'Aéronautique de Paris (Paris Air Show).¹

Production

• Prototypes: 9¹
• PZL P-24: ~300¹
• PZL P-24G:
• Manufacturer: Pantswowe Zaklady Lotnicze (PZL)^1,2

Variants

• PZL P-24:
• PZL P-24G:

Usage

The users of the P-24 were:

• Bulgaria¹: 24²
• Estonia¹
• Finland¹
• Greece¹: 30²
• Hungary¹
• Romania¹
• Turkey¹: 40²
• Yugoslavia¹

Specifications

	PZL P.242	PZL P-24G1
Type	Fighter2	Fighter1
Crew	12	11
Engine (Type)	Gnome-Rhône 14 N72	Gnome-Rhône 14 N71
Cylinders	Radial 142	Radial 141
Cooling	Air2	Air1
Net HP	9702	9301
Propeller blades
Dimensions
Span	35' 2"2	35' 2.5"1 10.75 m1
Length	24' 7"2	24' 7.5"1 7.52 m1
Height	8' 10"2	8' 10"1 2.7 m1
Wing area
Weight
Empty
Loaded	4,232 lb2	4,167 lb1 1,890 kg1
Performance
Speed @ 13,940'	267 mph2
Speed @ 14,763' / 4,490 m		254 mph1 408 kph1
Climb
Service ceiling	34,450'2	29,527'1 9,000 m1
Range	497 miles2	497 miles1 800 km1
Armament	2: 20 mm2 2: MG2	2: 20 mm1 2: MG1
Bombs	220 lb2	220 lb1 100 kg1