WALTER VAN TILBORG MEMORIAL COLLECTION
No. 13108. Polyteknikkojen Ilmailukerho PIK-21 Super-Sytky (OH-XTM)
Photograph from PIK

Polyteknikkojen Ilmailukerho PIK-21 Super-Sytky

05/27/2017. Remarks by Walter van Tilborg: "The PIK-21 Super-Sytky of the Polyteknikkojen Ilmailukerkho (PIK, Flying Club of the Institute of Technology) at Helsinki, Finland, bore no relationship to the earlier PIK-18 Sytky and was an original design intended as air racer in the Formula V class. Kai Mellén, an engineer with Finnair, started the design of the Super-Sytky, which took 1,000 man-hours, at the end of 1973. The all-wood type was built by members of the PIK and after 3,000 man-hours the Super-Sytky was rolled out on January 20, 1981. Registered OH-XTM it was flown for the first time by Mellén on May 16, 1981. Many years later a second and very similar PIK-21 was built and registered OH-XMR (4/453) this aircraft flew around for the first time early in 2004.

The PIK is comparable to the German Akaflieg organizations."

Type: Single-seat racing monoplane.
Wings: Cantilever constant chord wooden wings, with no anhedral, dihedral or incidence. Wing section NACA 64,212. Single box spar and truss ribs, plywood covered. Full-span narrow-chord ailerons of plywood-covered wood construction. No tabs.
Fuselage: Conventional semi-monocoque wooden structure, plywood covered.
Tail unit: Cantilever wooden structure, plywood covered. Constant chord tail plane and elevators. Fin integral with rear fuselage. Ground-adjustable trim tabs in rudder and elevator.
Landing gear: Non-retractable tail wheel type. Steel leaf spring main legs, carrying Azuza wheels, with Goodyear tires size 5.00-5. Tapered steel rod tailspring carrying 4.25 in (11 cm) Aetna tail wheel. Reinforced plastics main wheel fairings. Azuza mechanical brakes.
Power plant: One Volkswagen 1,600 cc modified motor-car engine, producing 53 hp and driving a Ray Hegy two-blade fixed-pitch wooden propeller, with large spinner. One light alloy fuel tank in fuselage, forward of cockpit, capacity 10.57 gal (40 l). Refueling point in front of windscreen. Oil capacity 0.66 gal (2.5 l).
Accommodation: Pilot only, under one-piece jettisonable windscreen/canopy, hinged on starboard side. Baggage space under seat. Cockpit ventilated.
Avionics: PIK-R-2 battery-powered 10-channel transceiver.

Created May 27, 2017