SZD - 21 "Kobuz-3" – the Polish glider

The history of the glider dates back to 1958, when a team of designers, led by senior engineer J. Trzeciak, began construction of the sequel to the glider IS-4 "Jastrząb". The new machine was designed for aerial acrobatics and fast flying. Originally called SZD-21 “Sokol”, it was later renamed to “Kobuz”. The second, improved prototype SZD - 21 - 2A "Kobuz - 2" was already with a significantly changed internal design. Despite the fact, that he was flying normally, his performance was worse, than expected, which led to further refinements of the project. The new prototype was even outwardly very different from its predecessors, but the glider’s problems ended in tragedy. During a flight on April 20, 1963, an attempt was made to study the spontaneous oscillations, which resulted in the death of the test pilot, Makaruk. The designers built a fourth prototype, the SZD-21D “Kobuz-3”. Neither the fuselage, nor the wing, nor the surfaces of the tail non escaped change. The newcomer first took to the air on December 10, 1964, and the new glider proved to be perfectly constructed. Serial production began in the same year, which was limited to 31 copies.

The uncomplicated but well-designed glider model is designed for inexperienced and novice modelers.