Zlín Trainer Box

ZLÍN TRAINER BOX

Aircraft

The Zlín Trainer series of aircraft now belongs to the LEGENDS of Czechoslovak aviation industry. The first Trainer, Z 26, took off in 1947, and until 1974, when the last Z 726 Trainer left the production line in Otrokovice, a total of 1457 aircraft of this series were produced. Initially designed for the military and the training of new military pilots, later, when basic pilot training in Czechoslovakia shifted to the paramilitary organization Svazarm, the Trainers flew under civilian registration.

About the Group

This group was formed during a group flying training session at the event "Slet československých letadel" in the year when the Zlín Trainer series celebrated its 75th anniversary. For a demonstration of four types with retractable landing gear, other pilots were approached, and thus the group began to take shape with performances at other events.

The idea of the Box is to pay tribute to Czechoslovak pilots who have been devoted to group flying for ages. The graceful curves of the aircraft emphasize the skillful hands of Czechoslovak designers.

In the group, you can see four types of Zlín Z-526 aircraft, namely versions Z-526, Z-526 M, Z-526 F, and Z-526 AFS-V. The first mentioned aircraft has a Walter Minor 6-III engine, and the other three have a more powerful Avia M-137.

Pilots: Michal Masař, David Vilímovský, Kryštof Minich, Jan Honzek, Michal Tvrzník, Radim Vojta

Interesting Fact

Radim Vojta mentioned about this group on his FACEBOOK: "I enjoy this. It started more or less by chance at the last meeting in Rakovník, where we found out that it works quite well. Since then, we sometimes practice, we will soon start training (already selected) substitutes because not everyone can at any time, and we'll see what comes of it over time."