Planes worth modeling

3-View Documentation for Scale Modelers

In November 1960, two of Czechoslovakia's major aircraft manufacturers, Moravan and LET, joined to design and build the Z-37 Agro-an aircraft intended for cropdusting, water bombing and glider towing. Moravan produced the fuselage and some of the auxiliary parts, and LET produced the wings and assembled the aircraft. The prototype was equipped with a Russian, air-cooled, 9-cylinder radial engine that provided 260hp, and the Z-37 first flew on June 29,1963.

By 1984, six more prototypes and a total of 723 aircraft had been produced, all equipped with geared Russian engines. These variants are known as Z-37, Z-37A and Z-37-2 (trainer-version) Cmelak, or Bumblebee.

Because of a shortage of the original engine, some aircraft were tested with the Czechoslovakian 700hp Walter M 601 turbine engine driving a 3-blade prop. Fifty-two aircraft in this configuration, known as the Z-137, were developed before production ended in 1994. The Walter-powered Z-137 was officially designated the Agro Turbo.

The Z-137 can operate from rough grass airstrips, and even in far from perfect conditions, it is able to withstand the fatigue of everyday use; this seems to be typical for nearly every Eastern European aircraft design.

Because crop-dusters are often flown at low altitudes, the Agro Turbo has a large greenhouse canopy that provides exceptional visibility for its single pilot.

It is most impressive to watch a Z-137 in flight; the aircraft appears as if it might stall at any moment, but it easily copes with any critical situation. When flaps and slats are deployed, the aircraft slows to what looks almost like walking speed.

Copyright Air Age Publishing Sep 2001
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