The Zlin Z-26 Trener was a tandem-seat basic training aircraft built by the Czechoslovakian company Moravan.
A low-wing monoplane of largely wooden construction, it was developed into a series of all-metal trainers.
Several were also produced in aerobatic variants, known as the Akrobat.
The original Z-26 was designed in the 1940s and produced in 1946 to meet a requirement for a basic trainer to replace the Bücker Jungmann and Bestmann.
It was a low-wing monoplane of mixed construction, with wooden wings and a welded metal tube fuselage, powered by a single four-cylinder piston engine, the Walter Minor 4-III.
It first flew in early 1947, proving superior to the competing Praga 112, and was declared the winner, entering production in 1948.
Later derivatives were also optimised to participate in aerobatic competitions, and many were owned by private pilot owners.
Both the two-seat Trener and the single-seat Akrobat were considered highly successful, winning several aerobatic awards in the 1960s.
Variants
Z-26
Two-seat primary trainer aircraft, 163 built.
Z-126
Introduced in 1953, Czech military designation C-105, all-metal wing instead of original wooden wing.
Z-226
More powerful Walter Minor 6-III six-cylinder engine, C-205
Z-226A
Single-seat aerobatic aircraft
Z-226B
Glider tug aircraft
Z-226T
Basic training version
Z-326
Introduced in 1959, with an electrically retractable undercarriage
Z-526
With the Walter 6-III carburettor’s six-cylinder engine
Z-526A
Single-seat aerobatic aircraft
Z-526F
Improved version, M-137 engine with fuel injector.
