SZD-16-GIL

SZD-16 Gil was a Polish prototype single seat training glider with a wood and metal structure in a spine-wing configuration. The glider was developed at Szybowcowe Zakłady Doświadczalnych (SZD) based in Bielsko-Biała. The prototype flight took place in October 1958. The design did not enter serial production. The curb weight was only 181 kilograms. Work on the SZD-16 Gil began in 1955 in connection with the order of the League of Friends of the Soldier for a new intermediate training glider, which would be the successor to the IS-B Komar design, which in turn was derived from the interwar period. In the new glider, it was decided to focus on simplicity of operation, good piloting properties and low production costs. Although the project promised to create a very successful glider, it did not meet the client's interest, and the SZD plants focused on the design and production of the SZD-15 Sroka glider. The SZD-16 flight was carried out only in 1958, and although it had very good flight characteristics, work on it was abandoned in 1960.