An Easterner in the West: Zlin Z-526AFS "Akrobat", Sassuolo Aero Club

It is not surprising that the Czech manufacturer Eduard has taken on the Zlin Z-526 with particular love and expertise: Constructions by the Czech aircraft company Zlin (originally: Zlínska letecká akciová společnost) have long played in the top league of high-performance aerobatics. Some of these aeroplanes can be described as legendary - and the Z-526 AFS Akrobat presented here in the model is certainly one of them!

About the Zlin Z-526AFS Akrobat
The relationship to the well-known Z-126, Z-226 and Z-336 "Trenér" series (which Eduard has already honoured with excellent kits) cannot be denied, although the version shown here is certainly the one with the most dynamic and streamlined shapes. This is mainly due to the single-seat layout and the one-piece glass cockpit, which is relatively close to the fuselage and gives the Z-526 a dynamic appearance with a certain warbird look.

Even if you can't recognise it, the history of the Zlin began over five decades ago: the Z-526AFS "Akrobat" was first flown in October 1971 as a derivative of the Z-526F. New features included the aforementioned canopy and a shortened wingspan, which allowed for more dynamic flight manoeuvres. This was enhanced by a further innovation: the landing flaps were omitted so that the ailerons could be guided over the entire length of the trailing edge of the wings.

An air-cooled 6-cylinder M-137A in-line engine with 180 hp was installed. Aircraft exported to the West could be equipped with a more powerful 200hp Lycoming AIO-360-B1B. The wingspan of 8.84 metres with a length of 7.80 metres shows the compact dimensions typical of an aerobatic aircraft, and the maximum take-off weight of 740 kg is also appropriate. With the additional tanks on the wingtips shown on this model, the range increased to 750 kilometres; if the aircraft is flying with its internal tanks alone, the range shrinks to 360 kilometres.

One of the great successes of the Zlin Z-526 "Akrobat" right at the beginning of its career was the victory of the GDR team at the 1968 World Aerobatic Championships; this was achieved in both the individual and team competitions. The paramilitary East German GST (Society for Sport and Technology) behind the pilots used nine Zlin Z-526A and Z-526 F and eleven Z-526AFS at this time.
However, the use of this aerobatic aircraft was not limited to the Eastern Bloc countries, as the powerful and agile design was also known and (re)demanded in the West. By 1974, 324 Z-526s had been produced at the Zlin factory in Ostrokovice.

The aircraft: Zlin Z-526AFS Akrobat I-1010, Aero Club Sassuolo
The aircraft shown here has a special place in the production history of the type: it was the last AFS to be built in 1974. In 1977 it was sold to Parma, Italy, where it was purchased two years later by Dr Silvio Bellei, an innovative and successful businessman, patron of Italian sport aviation and president of the Aero Club Sassuolo. From here and in the attractive livery shown, Signore Bellei flew it in the following years.

During this time, the I-1010 was only involved in one dangerous incident - which was indeed spectacular. During an unsuccessful and poorly coordinated landing manoeuvre, the Zlin literally ended up on the back of the fuselage of a Partenavia Oscar, which was on the last few metres of its own landing approach. With improbable luck, neither of the pilots was seriously injured and both aircraft landed on the ground in one piece: literally! The Zlin then had to be lifted off the back of the Oscar with a crane... It was repaired and is still at the Aero Club Sassuolo today, still fully aerobatic.

About the kit and the building process
If there is one kit that I can only find words of praise for, then it is in one of the boxes of the Zlin Trenér and Akrobat series from Eduard! If you go through the qualities that make a good kit, there is a big plus behind each category. For example, the kit features detailed moulded and cleanly cast plastic parts, lavish etched part plates, masking films for the clear parts and sharply printed decals applied to wafer-thin carrier film. The benefit of a really easy-to-understand building instruction is also pleasing.

After the start of construction, the accuracy of fit proves to be impressively good throughout, and the clear parts also live up to their name with convincing transparency. Eduard also succeeds very well in emphasising the differences between the individual machines depicted. The required alternative parts are included in each case, leaving a relatively large proportion for the spare parts box.

Last but not least, I would like to mention the successful selection of decal versions: it is almost difficult to choose the one you want to realise from the five attractive suggestions. My solution was to build more than just one Zlin Z-526: I would like to show you the second "Akrobat" built in parallel in a subsequent article!

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