KITS 04/2023

Z-326, No. 610, Kladno Aero Club, Kladno Airfield, Czechoslovakia, 1975

This aircraft served as C-305 in the military

aeroclub of Czechoslovak People’s Army for basic

training of student pilots. During this service an

unspecified collision (on the ground) with other

aircraft occurred according to some sources,

resulting in fuselage damage. The aircraft

was repaired but lost its aerobatic category

classification and was overhanded to the civilian

Kladno Aero Club at the end of September 1972.

Prior to conversion to the tug version, it was

used for training and navigation flights. The

aircraft retained the overall silver livery as it

was used in army, but the nose was adorned

with blue color, while wingtips and top of the

vertical stabilizer were painted red. More to it,

the cartoon of the smiling crab was painted on

the port side of the nose with unusually stylized

Trener Master inscription above it. The painting

was based on a cartoon by Pavel Kantorek,

Czechoslovak professor of physical science at

Ryerson University, Toronto. He was author of

many humorous cartoons with animals starring

in the main role.

Z-326MF, No. 918, Repülőiskola Nyíregyháza, Nyíregyháza Airport, Hungaria, 2020

Hungaria is one of the countries, where the

Trenér family is very popular. There were 12 of

Z-326 Trenér Masters delivered directly from the

factory in 1961 and 1962, but this one is not one of

them. This aircraft was sold to Gabon (Air service

Libreville) in December 1966 with registration

mark TR-LMX and later was delivered to France,

where it was flying under registration F-BSTA

as Z-326. The conversion to MF version was

done in Hungary and the aircraft sported nonstandard right engine cover – the one used on

Z-326 powered by Walter Minor 6-III engine, i.e.,

with four wide louvres. This was later changed for

the standard cover for the M-137 engine. Today,

the University of Nyíregyháza is the owner of the

aircraft and uses it along other ones for pilot

training of its students.

C-305, No. 604, Czechoslovak People’s Army, Czechoslovakia, 1965

Czechoslovak People’s Army obtained ten

Z-326 in military version C-305. These aircraft

varied only slightly from the civilian ones, as

they were equipped with small indication lights

on the undercarriage leg covers and with the

signal rockets dispenser under the belly with

corresponding control panel in the cockpit. These

April 2023

served for basic pilot training in Military Aero

Clubs, where young beginners were starting

their career of military pilots prior to enlisting.

Some aircraft were flying in simple silver livery,

other obtained attractive three-tone coloring

with metallic light blue-green as a basic one. This

aircraft was handed over to civilian Aero Clubs

representative (Svazarm organization) on May

8, 1968 and was assigned to Vrchlabí Aero Club

consequently. Later it was transferred to Olomouc

Aero Club and finally to nearby Prostějov Aero

Club, where it is flying with OK-OTA registration

today.

INFO Eduard

47