3 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Puchacz-JRJ: TSRL· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2. SZD-50-3 Puchacz glider: No machine-readable author provided. WitekTHC assumed (based on copyright claims).· Public domain
- 3. SZD-50-3 Puchacz Glider in a turn: Przemysław "BlueShade" Idzkiewicz· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The PZL Bielsko SZD-50 Puchacz (Polish: "eagle owl") is a Polish two-place training and aerobatic sailplane.
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 50 years ago, in 1976.
- Top speed is 1.7× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 16.7 m: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
no engine: No engine: it glides on rising air.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1976-12-21
- number built
- —
- role
- sailplane
- origin
- 🇵🇱 Poland
- makers
- PZL
- engines
- none (glider)
- crew
- 2
- passengers
- 2
- length
- 8.4 m
- wingspan
- 16.7 m
- height
- 2 m
- max take-off weight
- 570 kg
- top speed
- 215 km/h
- range
- —
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q9375, Wikipedia: PZL Bielsko SZD-50 Puchacz (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.