SZD-19-2A ZEFIR

SZD-19-2 / 2A Zefir-2 / 2A was a Polish, single-seat, sports glider with a spine-wing structure and a wooden structure. The glider was developed at Szybowcowe Zakłady Doświadczalnych (SZD) based in Bielsko-Biała. The flight of the prototype took place in 1958, and serial production started in 1960. The curb weight of the glider was 295-330 kilograms. SZD-19 2A Zefir 2 was developed on the basis of the experience gained from the operation of the SZD-19x Zefir 1, as well as the conclusions of the 7th World Gliding Championships organized in 1958 in Leszno. Work on the new aircraft was supervised by MSc. Bogumił Szuba. Despite the Zefir 2 design being based on the Zefir 1 glider, a completely new glider was finally created, clearly exceeding its predecessor and equaling in almost every area the best designs in the world. Moreover, as early as 1962, an improved version of the Zefira-2, the Zefir-2A glider, was tested and put into production. It was on such a glider in 1963 in Argentina that Edward Makula and Jerzy Popiel won the titles of the Champion and Vice-Champion of the World in the open class, which is still one of the greatest achievements in the history of Polish sports gliding! It can be stated that in the 1960s the SZD-19-2 / 2A Zefir-2 / 2A glider was one of the best gliders in its class in the world.