Orličan L-40 Meta Sokol (c/n 150905, OK-NOR), taking-off from Letiště Točná / Točná Airport, after the open doors day held there, Prague, October 2024.
On 9th March 1946, the first post-war Czechoslovak aircraft Mráz M-1 Sokol (English: falcon), performed its maiden flight. The aircraft was developed in Továrna letadel ing. J. Mráz (Aircraft Works of engr. J. Mráz) in Choceň, by Zdeněk Rublič and his design team.
The aircraft quickly achieved commercial success, was made in almost three hundred examples and found its customers all over the world.
Nevertheless, management of the Choceň factory was aware of the main disadvantage of the aircraft, compared to its international competitors. The M-1 was made entirely of wood, while the growing market trend was to build aeroplanes of metal construction.
Therefore, in 1949, Rublič was assigned the task to create a new aircraft, being the all-metal successor of the Sokol. Initially, the project was designated XLD-40 and named ´Mír´ (English: peace, but also the world). The aeroplane was intended for touring and sport flying purposes and planned to be offered mostly at foreign markets. Its distinctive feature was V-tail configuration, similar to that of the then popular small utility aircraft, Beech Model 35 Bonanza.
On 30th June 1950, only ten months from the date the project was launched, the XLD-40 performed its maiden flight. Regrettably, the aircraft was significantly damaged two months later, during emergency landing caused by failure of its fuel system. Although the aeroplane was repaired, deteriorating international relations between the Eastern Bloc countries and the Western world caused the factory management lost all interest in the XLD-40 programme.
The case of creating the successor of the MD-1 returned in 1953 and works on the project were resumed. This time, the aircraft was designated LD-40 and lacked the V-tail. Shortly after, it was named ´Meta-Sokol´, therefore showing the project is directly related to create an upgraded, all-metal variant of the MD-1.
The first prototype of the LD-40 made its successful first flight in March of 1954. Nevertheless, a series of evaluation flights indicated the aeroplane needed to be refined in every detail. Therefore, two further prototypes were made and performed their maiden flights in March and August of 1956, respectively. Only then, the Czechoslovak state authorities approved the Meta-Sokol to be made in a short series of just ten examples.
Issues with the aircraft were solved with implementation of new powerplant, the four-cylinder, air-cooled Walter M-332, generating 140 hp. The Meta-Sokol was approved for serial production in the Choceň aviation plant, which in the meantime was renamed to Orličan národní podnik (Orličan national corporation).
Serial production of the Meta-Sokol was continued until the end of 1959. The aeroplane was made in 106 examples, the majority of which were sold to international customers all over the world.
The termination of the Meta-Sokol production meant also the end of manufacturing of any powered aircraft in Choceň. Over the next years, the company changed its profile for manufacturing gliders. In 1991, Orličan was turned into a stock company but ceased its activities in 2010.
The Meta-Sokol featured within our Photo of the Week series was manufactured in 1959. It was then sold to the United Kingdom and reportedly owned by a former Royal Navy pilot. In Britain, the aeroplane was upgraded with IFR equipment, made by Decca Loran, however without obtaining any authorisation from the manufacturer.
In 1997, the aeroplane returned to the Czech Republic. Since 2001, the Meta-Sokol OK-NOR is operated at Aeroklub Zbraslavice.
