Zlín Z 42

The Zlín Z 42 is a single-engine two-seat Czechoslovakian trainer aircraft manufactured by Moravan Otrokovice. A developed version, the Z 142, is the most popular aircraft variant in the manufacturer's aircraft line.

Design and development


The aircraft were built by Moravan Aviation, founded in 1934 by Tomáš Baťa in Czechoslovakia.

As a follow-on and replacement for the successful Zlín Trener series of tandem aerobatic trainers, Moravan developed a new family of light aircraft, featuring a side-by-side seat layout, and comprising a two-seat trainer, the Zlín Z 42 and a four-seat trainer/tourer aircraft, the Zlín Z 43. The Z 42 first flew on 17 October 1967, achieving airworthiness certification on 7 September 1970.

The aircraft fuselage center section is of welded steel tube, covered with sheet metal and fiberglass panels. The tailcone is of monocoque construction. The empennage is of sheet metal. The two-spar wings are of all-metal construction. The tricycle landing gear is fixed, with a steerable nosewheel. Designed for aerobatics instruction, it was certified to +6.0 and -4.0 limit maneuvering load factors, and was equipped with full inverted fuel and oil systems, permitting extended inverted flight. The Z 42 is powered by a Walter inverted six-cylinder engine rated at 134 kW (180 hp).

The revised Zlín Z 42M flew in November 1972, with a revised tail taken from the Z 43, and a Constant speed propeller replacing the variable pitch propeller (where the propeller pitch is controlled by the pilot) of the original Z 42. When early Z 42s were refitted with the new propeller, they were redesignated Z 42 MU.

Development continued, with the Zlín Z 142, featuring a slightly enlarged two-seat airframe based on that of the Z 42 and the more powerful (157 kW (210 hp)) Walter (now LOM) M 337 fuel-injected inverted six-cylinder, supercharged air-cooled engine of the Z 43 replacing the unsupercharged LOM M137 engine of the Z 42. The prototype Z-142 first flew on 29 December 1978.

In the late 1980s, further development work was initiated. The inverted inline engine was replaced with a four-cylinder horizontally-opposed Lycoming IO-360 engine. This variant is designated the Z 242L Guru, and is immediately distinguishable by its relatively wide cowling which houses the flat-four engine.

in 2021 Zlin introduced a revised 242L called the Zeus. This has a less angular tail and more streamlined cockpit plus undercarriage revisions.

Fernas 142
Licence production of the Z 142 has been carried out in Algeria by ECA fernas (sometimes known as just Fernas) as the ECA-Fernas 142, complete with aerobatic modifications.

Operational history
Two Z-142s were used by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in bombing sorties on the Sri Lankan airforce bases in Sri Lanka in 2007. In October 2008 the Zlíns were also used in an attack on a military base of the Sri Lanka Army, and a power station on the outskirts of the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Variants

 * Zlín Z 42: Initial production version, powered by 180 hp Avia M-137 engine. 48 built.
 * Zlín Z 42M: Revised dorsal fin and constant speed propeller fitted. 149 built.
 * Zlín Z 142: Forward-sliding bubble cockpit canopy. Powered by 225 hp M-337AK engine.
 * Zlín Z 242: 200 hp
 * Zlín Z 242L Guru:
 * Zlín Z 242L Zeus:
 * Fernas 142 / ECA Fernas 142: (ECA - Entreprise de construction aéronautique) Algerian licence production of the Z 142, first flown in 1993.

Civilian
The aircraft is popular with flying training organizations.


 * 🇭🇰 Hong Kong
 * Government Flying Service

Military



 * Algerian Air Force - producing locally under Fernas-142 name
 * Algerian Air Force - producing locally under Fernas-142 name


 * ADF - Australian Air Force Cadets - three in service used to train cadet pilots as of 2017
 * ADF - Australian Air Force Cadets - three in service used to train cadet pilots as of 2017


 * Bolivian Air Force = nine x Z242L ordered in May 2016.
 * Bulgarian Air Force - Z 42
 * Cuban Air Force - Z-142
 * Croatian Air Force and Air Defence - Z-242L
 * Czech Air Force - Z-142
 * Hungarian Air Force - Z-242L
 * North Macedonia
 * North Macedonia Air Brigade - Z-242L
 * Mexican Navy - Z-242
 * Peruvian Air Force - Z-242
 * Slovenian Air Force and Air Defence - Z-242
 * Yemen Air Force - Z-242.
 * Separatist organizations
 * Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam - Air Tigers (formerly active in 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka)
 * Mexican Navy - Z-242
 * Peruvian Air Force - Z-242
 * Slovenian Air Force and Air Defence - Z-242
 * Yemen Air Force - Z-242.
 * Separatist organizations
 * Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam - Air Tigers (formerly active in 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka)
 * Yemen Air Force - Z-242.
 * Separatist organizations
 * Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam - Air Tigers (formerly active in 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka)
 * Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam - Air Tigers (formerly active in 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka)