J.Zynk Polish Aircraft 1893-1939 (Putnam)

Rozum and Becheny's Monoplane

   In Krakow, where no proper aeronautical organizations existed, the development of aviation activities was far more limited than in Warsaw and Lwow. However, a handful of Krakow pioneers and enthusiasts, undeterred by popular indifference, established close links with the ZASPL (Aviation Association of Technical University Students in Lwow) and 'Awiata' organizations in Lwow and secured understanding and moral support for their work from the Krakow Technical Society.
   The first and only full-size aircraft to be built in Krakow before the First World War was a clean and pleasant looking monoplane, evolved by two Krakow technicians, Rozum and Becheny, the latter being of Czech extraction. The machine, somewhat influenced by the Bleriot Type No. XI, was designed in 1909 and completed at the Rudawski & Co workshop in April 1910. The aircraft was powered by a 50 hp four-cylinder radial engine driving a two-blade tractor airscrew, the engine and airscrew being designed also by Rozum and Becheny. According to contemporary press reports, engine trials proved highly successful, and the airscrew indicated a great tractive capability.
   The monoplane, exhibited in one of the large halls in Krakow in May 1910, was the first powered fixed-wing aircraft to be completed in Poland and the first to be equipped with an indigenous aero-engine. No information is available about any flight attempts or the fate of the machine after its public display.

Construction: Rozum and Becheny's aircraft was a single-seat braced monoplane of wooden construction. The wing, a divided double-surfaced structure with an area of 16 sq m (172.2 sq ft), was attached to the fuselage longerons and lavishly braced by wires to the inverted V cabane on top of the fuselage and to the fuselage lower frame. Lateral stability was controlled by the wing-warping system. The fuselage, a rectangular-section open framework of ash, consisted of a deep forward section, extending under the wing, and a slim rear section. The forward section carried the engine, fuel and two-wheel landing gear, the pilot's seat being situated at the head of the frame under the engine. The tail unit consisted of a tailplane, elevators, and a fin which was attached to the end of the fuselage frame. Dimensions included a span of 8 m (26 ft 3 in) and length of 7 m (22 ft 113/4 in). The empty weight was 260 kg (573 lb).