Matějček XM-12 Makrol
Among the really interesting and little-known collection items of the VHÚ is undoubtedly the inconspicuous aircraft of the designer Ing. Jiří Matějček XM-12 Macrol. At the beginning of the 1980s, the military Research Institute VÚ 030 Prague raised the question of how to solve unmanned reconnaissance vehicles for our army. Several solutions were proposed, from which the successful Sojka system later crystallized. Among the so-called dead ends can be included the project of an ultralight, relatively large aircraft, which was to provide the army with basic information about the methods of reconnaissance and unmanned control of such machines.
The above-mentioned Ing. Matějček and the realization was entrusted to Orličan n.p. Choceň, who had extensive experience with the construction of aircraft and at the same time a connection to supplies to the army. And so in 1983, under great secrecy, the construction of a simple aircraft, mostly a wooden structure, began in Orličan. It was subject to the maximum lace and lightness of the machine. A modified engine from the Trabant car and an wooden Aeron V-220 propeller were chosen as the propulsion unit. The construction of two functional prototypes was planned, on which the flight characteristics, installation of equipment and possible remote unmanned control would be verified.
The designer designed the whole machine as simply as possible. The hull was of rectangular cross-section, made mostly of pine beams and plywood. He carried the cockpit with a hinged cover and behind it in tandem the operator's cabin, which was closed on screws by a window plate. In this area, where there was also a cylindrical fuel tank, the installation of reconnaissance equipment and autopilot was planned. Simple rectangular rudders, a wing carrying only ailerons and a solid tubular, unsprung landing gear were attached to the fuselage. Throughout the program, it was calculated, quite reasonably, that Makrol would be flown by a classic pilot, and after removing any defects and vices, he would begin his own military research. The planned empty weight of the whole machine was to be only 140 kg, which was a relatively ambitious assumption.
In Choceň, experienced workers eagerly took on an interesting task, and as early as September 5, 1983, the first functional sample could be flown. Chief pilot Jiří Unzeitig lifted the machine into the air and after two starts he stated that Makrol is behaving quite appropriately, but his performance is far from meeting the expectations. The fault was, on the one hand, the higher empty weight of the aircraft, which reached 185 kg, but above all the low power of the power unit, only 19.7 hp. Unfortunately, the selected power unit, modified in the Aquacentrum in Bubovice and released in Avia, limited the operation of the promising project from the very beginning and was later a practical reason for its cancellation. In the meantime, the Makrol completed several other starts, in particular relatively high vibrations, transmitted to the structure from a low-suspension engine bed.
It was equipped with mechanical brakes of the main chassis for easier maneuvering on the ground. In October 1983, the aircraft became acquainted with the professional technicians of VÚ 030 and its transfer to Prague-Kbel began to be prepared. On October 21, 1983, Mr. Unzeitig flew the Makrol from Chocna to Kbel and covered a distance of 120 km in an amazing 2 hours and 5 minutes. It was the longest and last flight of this machine. After taking over the technology of VÚ 030, Makrol was only motorized on the ground and there was no official flight by the military administration. In the research institute he received the Czechoslovak Army. characters and was assigned military matriculation 5001, which was derived from the serial number 15 00 01. Other fates of Makrol were only sad. In fact, this was the first officially manufactured ultralight aircraft in our country to stand in the VÚ 030 hangar for several years, and after the cancellation of the entire program, it was quietly transferred to the collections of the VHÚ Aviation Museum in 1986. He had flown in only 8 hours and 7 minutes at the time. It was never actually presented to the public properly, and even state emblems were removed from it. Despite all these unfortunate aspects of the fate of Makrol, it is amazing that it has actually survived to this day, and we can thus document the specific development of this category of aircraft. In addition to the relatively unusual name of the machine, it was supposed to be the composition of the names Matějček-Krhánek-Rozlivka. The other two named participated in the project as employees of VÚ 030.
XM-12 Macrol Mostly wooden topplane with a two-seater tandem cabin. Designed for military research purposes. Trabant two-cylinder piston engine with a capacity of 600 cc and a theoretical power of 27 hp Span 12.10 m Length 6.45 m Height 1.70 m Weight of empty aircraft 185 kg Max. take-off weight 300 kg Cruising speed 100 km / h Max. speed 120 km / h Access 3,000 m The aircraft was acquired in the collections of the VHÚ in exchange for 1986.
The text of the article is translated from the VHÚ Prague website. Source: L+K and:
http://www.vhu.cz/exhibit/matejcek-xm-12-makrol-ceskoslovensko-1983/
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