PZL P.8/I Defending the idea

Colerend · August 11, 2026, 12:54pm

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PZL P.8/I

History

Proposals for direct successor to the PZL P.1 plane were being worked on by engineer Zygmunt Puławski, the chief designer and pilot at P.Z.L. ( Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze , “State Aviation Works”) in the years 1929–30, but as the Department of Aeronautics favoured the use of radials because of the deal they signed with Bristol in 1929 and their own beliefs, no decision concerning these projects was forthcoming. As a result of Puławski intervention due to him not wanting his idea of high-wing fighter with inline engine to die, a permission to proceed was eventually granted late in 1930 for the purpose of comparison with the P.7 . Work on the prototypes started soon after and continued into 1931 with first prototype having it’s maiden flight in August of that year. His previous designs having sparked great interest across Europe due to them being a modern all-metal high-wing fighters (PZL P.1 and P.6) prompted leading aero-engine manufacturers such as Hispano-Suiza, Bristol, Rolls-Royce, Lorraine, and (supposedly)FIAT to approach P.Z.L. with offers to supply an engine free of charge for installation in their fighter designs. Each company believed it’s engine would deliver the best performance in an new P.Z.L. plane and that a potential machine could result in a fruitful contract for them.

PZL P.1

PZL P.6

Original concepts of the inline engine fighter with a slim slab-sided fuselage were being worked on at the same time as the development of radial-powered PZL P.7 was happening, therefore P.Z.L. management initially selected the two best engines. The air-cooled Bristol Mercury which was later used for P.11 and a water-cooled model, either the Hispano-Suiza 12Mc or the Lorraine 12H Petrel. Airframe construction was undertaken at P.Z.L.’s own expense, with costs covered by profits from the order for the P.7 fighter series. The numbers 8 and 9 in the P.Z.L. designation sequence, originally applied to initial designs for two seaplanes rejected by the Polish Navy, were re-allotted to the projected developments of the two P.8 prototypes.

P.8/I prototype being finished at PZL plant in Warsaw

Ultimately, instead of a single aircraft, two prototypes powered by inline engines were built in 1931.They were developments of the P.1 aircraft and it’s planned unbraced version, the P.2. The first airframe, designated P.8/I, was powered by a Hispano-Suiza 12 Mc engine. The airframe design was similar to that of the P.1, incorporating lessons learned from it. The P.8/I was test flown by B. Orliński at the Mokotów airfield in Warsaw in August 1931 and demonstrated to Prince Nicholas of Romania, who was visiting Warsaw at the time. Flight tests of the aircraft showed that, despite reaching a speed of 330 km/h near the ground, it was inferior to the P.7 at altitude due to its engine lacking a supercharger. The flight trials were generally successful with the prototype achieving a maximum speed of 330 km/h (205 mph) at sea level during factory tests and it’s handling characteristics were excellent. The PZL P.8/I was demonstrated by Col. J. Kossowski during the International Aviation Meeting in Warsaw on June 19, 1932 where he took first place in a 40 km race for fighter aircraft, achieving a speed of 274 km/h and defeating B. Orliński, who reached 269 km/h in an P.11/I prototype.

P.8/I during International Aviation Meeting in Warsaw

P.8/I received the markings “6B” on its fuselage, as well as B. Orliński’s personal emblem. A winged arrow, which served as the emblem of the 121st Fighter Escadrille (121. E.M.) of the 11th Fighter Regiment (11. PL). In March 1932, B. Orliński test flew the second prototype, designated PZL P.8/II, which was equipped with a 500/675 hp Lorraine Petrel engine. On July 20,1932, while flying to an air show in Zürich from Warsaw, about 25 minutes after takeoff, the engine overheated. To avoid a seizure, the pilot made a forced landing in a potato field in Białoczerw, near Końskie. B. Orliński slightly damaged his aircraft after it nosed over. The next day, July 21,1932, B. Orliński took off again towards Zürich but in a P.8/I. Along the way, he landed to refuel at Kraków-Rakowice and Vienna-Aspern. Approaching his next landing around 1 P.M. at the mountain airfield in Innsbruck (over 1,000 meters above sea level), Orliński had a very limited landing area. The air was highly heated and thin, and the approach was over a high-voltage power line. Flying at minimum speed, the plane suddenly disappeared after passing over the line. A landing gear leg broke, and a full roll on its back occurred. The impact with the ground was far worse than that of the P.8/II the previous day. This effectively spelled the end for the first prototype with it being handed over for scrapping later that year.

Construction

The P.8 was a single-seat metal fighter aircraft, with a Puławski-wing(braced high-wing) configuration and fixed landing gear.
The fuselage is rectangular, rounded from top to bottom, of truss construction, and covered with duralumin sheet metal. Part of the roof covering is removable, similar to the PZL P.1.

The cockpit is open, protected at the front by a windshield and with a fairing behind the pilot’s head. The pilot’s seat belts are adjustable according to the S. Borkowski system. The instrument panel includes a compass, airspeed indicator, altimeter, tachometer, timepiece, fuel gauge, thermometer, fuel pressure gauge, and a magneto switch.
The landing gear is a two-wheeled, two-legged design with crossed rods and 2.3m wheelbase. PZL.138 oil-air shock absorbers are hidden within the fuselage. As a result of careful aerodynamic refinement, the 750 x 125 Palmer wheels were fitted with fairings, and the water radiator was positioned behind the landing gear assembly. Tail skid was also equipped with oil-air shock absorption.
The wings of the P.8 differed from those of Puławski’s earlier fighters, as they featured a smooth skin, lacking the corrugations and external riveting strips found on previous designs and were equipped with shorter ailerons. The first prototypes of the P.11, which were built shortly after the P.8 prototypes, utilized wings that were nearly identical to those of the P.8. The wingspan of the P.8 was greater than that of the P.7, as the wing attachment fittings on the fuselage were spaced further apart. The trapezoidal airfoil, tapered at the fuselage, is of duralumin construction, with two spars, covered with smooth sheet metal, and supported by two pairs of struts. The ribs are lattice-shaped. The airfoil is Bartel 37/IIa, with a thickness of 6.75 to 14.25%.

Spoiler

Unlike the P.1, this aircraft did not make use of Elektron (a magnesium alloy). The ailerons are slotted, metal-skinned. Duralumin empennage, covered with smooth sheet metal. Stabilizers feature a two-spar design. The horizontal stabilizer is adjustable and supported by struts. A 350 dm³ fuel tank that can be jettisoned in case of emergency is positioned between the engine and the pilot cabin.
The engine was a 12-cylinder, in-line, V-shaped, water-cooled Hispano-Suiza 12Mс with a nominal power of 368 kW (500 hp) and a maximum power of 442-471 kW (600-640 hp) at 2,100 rpm with a weight of 400 kg. The engine cowling is made of duralumin sheet. The engine mount is a riveted duralumin structure. A water radiator is located beneath the fuselage and an oil radiator positioned under the engine. It powers a Ratier variable-pitch two blade metal propeller. (Most sources state that it was fixed pitch but I’m not aware of any Ratier metal propellers that would have fixed pitch.)
The 350 litre fuel tank is housed within the fuselage and is designed to be jettisoned in case of an emergency.

Armament + Equipment

(Planned)
Two “7,7mm Vickers” machineguns synchronized with the propeller, mounted
in the upper decking of the forward fuselage
800 rounds per gun
Likely would have been either Vickers wz.09/32 or Vickers wz.E
Vickers wz.09/32 is a Vickers Mk I and Mk II modernized to have a higher rate of fire (1000 rpm compared to 450-600 rpm) and uses 7,92mm Mauser ammunition instead.
Vickers wz.E is just a Vickers E that uses the German 7,92mm Mauser ammunition.

Specifications