Zlin Z 42

The Zlín Z 42 is a Czechoslovakian single-engine two-seat trainer aircraft manufactured by Moravan Aviation. Designed as a side-by-side seating replacement for the tandem-layout Zlín Trener series, the aircraft was developed for primary flight and aerobatic instruction. First flying on 17 October 1967, it achieved airworthiness certification on 7 September 1970 and entered civil and military service shortly thereafter.

Development

Moravan Aviation, established in 1934 by Tomáš Baťa, developed the Z 42 alongside the four-seat Z 43 as part of a standardized light aircraft family. Initial production comprised 48 Z 42 airframes before the modified Z 42M flew in November 1972, featuring a constant-speed propeller and a tail section adopted from the Z 43, with 149 built. The larger Z 142 prototype first flew on 29 December 1978, followed by license production in Algeria as the ECA Fernas 142 starting in 1993. In the late 1980s, the design was adapted to accept a flat-four engine as the Z 242L Guru, which was further updated in 2021 as the Z 242L Zeus with a streamlined cockpit, redesigned tail, and revised undercarriage.

Design

The Z 42 center fuselage is built from welded steel tubing covered by sheet metal and fiberglass panels, joined to a monocoque tailcone, sheet metal empennage, and all-metal two-spar wings utilizing a NACA 632416.5 airfoil. Its fixed tricycle landing gear uses a steerable nosewheel, and fuel can be stored in standard wing leading-edge tanks or tip tanks. Powered by an inverted six-cylinder Walter M 137 engine producing 134 kW (180 hp), the engine features inverted fuel and oil systems allowing sustained inverted flight under limit load factors of +6.0 and -4.0 g. Subsequent variants incorporate supercharged M 337 engines or Lycoming IO-360 flat-four engines in widened cowlings, while optional equipment includes VHF radio and IFR instrumentation.

Operational History

The Z 42 family serves with various military operators, including the air arms of Algeria, Australia, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cuba, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Mexico, North Macedonia, Peru, Slovenia, and Yemen. During the Sri Lankan Civil War, the Air Tigers branch of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam operated two Z-142 aircraft modified for night bombing missions against Sri Lankan Air Force bases in 2007, followed by strikes on an army base and a power plant near Colombo in October 2008. The airframe is also widely used by civilian flight academies, the Hong Kong Government Flying Service, and the Australian Air Force Cadets.

Variants

• Zlín Z 42: Initial production aerobatic trainer powered by an 180 hp Avia M-137 inline engine, with 48 built.
• Zlín Z 42M: Modified model featuring a constant-speed propeller and a redesigned dorsal fin, with 149 constructed.
• Zlín Z 142: Enlarged two-seat variant with a forward-sliding bubble canopy and a supercharged 225 hp Walter M-337 engine.
• Zlín Z 242L Guru: Re-engined variant equipped with a horizontally opposed Lycoming IO-360 four-cylinder engine inside a widened cowling.
• ECA Fernas 142: Algerian license-produced version of the Z 142 featuring localized aerobatic modifications.