| M-20 Mewa | |
|---|---|
.jpg) PZL M 20 Mewa - licence version ofPiper PA-34 Seneca | |
| General information | |
| Type | Utility aircraft |
| Manufacturer | PZL-Mielec |
| Designer | WSKPZL Mielec |
| Primary user | Polish Air Ambulance Service |
| Number built | 33 |
| History | |
| First flight | 25 July 1979 |
| Developed from | Piper PA-34 Seneca |
ThePZL-Mielec M-20 Mewa (Polish:Gull) is a licence-built version of thePiper PA-34 Seneca II manufactured in Poland by WSKPZL Mielec in a limited series from the 1980s.
A licence to build the PA-34-200T was purchased in1978, when WSK-Mielec started to co-operate with Western manufacturers. The Polish aircraft were to be fitted with 164 kW (220 hp)PZL-Franklin F6A-350 engines. The first Mewa, partly assembled from US-delivered parts, flew on 25 July1979. However, the Polish communist authorities were reluctant to produce civil aircraft of this class as there was no civil aircraft free market in Poland at that time. As a result, the second prototype, built in Poland, was not flown until1982 and the third M-20 02, being the basis for serial production, on10 October 10,1985. In1988, anair ambulance version M-20 03 was developed, withTeledyne Continental TSIO/LTSIO-360-KB engines.
After 1990 production of the Mewa commenced for the civilian market. Despite the fact that it won theTeraz Polska award in 1993, interest was very limited and only 33 had been built by the end of 1998.[1]
In April 2015, Aero AT (Jiangsu) Aviation Industrial bought the intellectual property for the M-20 Mewa from U.S.-basedSikorsky Aircraft's subsidiaryPZL Mielec in Poland. Poland-based Aero AT Ltd.,Jiangsu Aero AT Aviation Technologies andChangzhou National Hi-Tech District entered into an investment agreement on 30 October 2015. The plan being for Jiangsu Aero to assemble the M-20 Mewa inChina at theChangzhou Konggang Industrial Park. The first Chinese produced M-20 Mewa was expected to roll off the production line at the facility in 2017, followed by 50 aircraft annually starting in 2018.[2][3]
Four M-20s were used by the PolishAir Ambulance Service. As of 2006, there were still 14 M-20s on the Polish civilian registry. One is used by thePolish Border Guard.
Data fromJane's all the World's Aircraft 1988–89[4]
General characteristics
Performance
Related development
