BOXART STORY

#84185

The South

Bohemian Dandy

Aerobatics is an attractive discipline both

for pilots and spectators, although not flown

with full-blooded aerobatic special aircraft.

Even a Z 126 Trenér can put on a very nice

show. And when the Z 226, the first version of the Trenér powered by a six-cylinder

engine proved how good it is at aerobatics,

a line of single-seater aerobatic specials

was started alongside the two-seater versions. The Z 226 A changes were minor compared to the two-seater , it had just front

cockpit covered and new shortened canopy

for rear one. Its successors, the Z 226 AS,

Z 326 A or Z 526 A were also just slightly

modified versions of their two-seater counterparts. Then the Z 526 AS “Akrobat Special”

brought in some more significant changes.

For example, the deletion of the flaps. And

when the M 137A aerobatic engine was developed, the Z 526 AF version with a shortened fuselage was introduced, followed by

the Z 526 AFS, which in addition received

a shortened wingspan with twin differentiated ailerons. It was the last of a breed of the

aerobatic specials based on the Z 26 series.

The next step was the brand-new Z 50L.

Among the 45 examples of Z 526 AFSs produced, the aircraft with serial number 1219,

was produced in 1972 and allocated for the

needs of the aerobatic national team. It received the OK-CXB registration and was

painted with a specific golden-brown shade,

which was, to be honest, more brown than

golden. That's why the aircraft came to be

called the “Brownie”. In the late 1970s, the

aircraft was stripped of this not-so-flatte-

July 2022

ring nickname thanks to the new livery it

received during an overhaul. It then flew in

the red and white livery typical of most Z 526

AFS and continued to serve with the national

team. In the second half of the 1980s, it ran

off its aerobatic flight hours and, although

these aircraft were later given extended

aerobatic life, the new owner decided not to

“torment” his aircraft and kept it registered

as the Normal category aircraft, which means no reversed flying or no turns exceeding

bank of 60°. It's a bit like having a thoroughbred racehorse used to run the most demanding steeplechases and just letting him

to ramble around the meadow. But, in other

hand, older thoroughbreds often need such

a treatment… The aerobatic Z 526 AFS, however, has mostly met a different fate – being harnessed “to the plough”, i.e., converted

to the tow version Z-526AFS-V, which was

also the case with OK-CXB.

In 1993, this aircraft was assigned to the Holešov Aero Club and 15 years later it underwent an overhaul, during which it received

a completely new silver-red livery in which

it still flies today. However, just a year later

it was sold to a private owner and its new

home became the airfield Frýdlant nad

Ostravicí. The aircraft was then often used

as a tug during sailplane races. Three years

ago, the then owner decided to sell it off.

At that time, Stanislav Jirmus and his son

Tomáš Jirmus made an air trip from their

home Tábor Aero Club, as they were invited

to a barbecue party at another Aero Club.

And there Stanislav Jirmus heard that there

Text: Richard Plos

Illustration: Antonis Karydis

was a nice Akrobat for sale in Frýdlant for

a decent price. That was on Saturday.

On Sunday Tomáš was on the phone, on

Monday he went to Frýdlant and on Thursday

the plane was in Tábor. It was just love at

first sight!

The drawing by Antonis Karydis on the box

of the kit Cat. No. 84185 shows OK-CXB somewhere over the South Bohemian landscape. It shows it in the company of Blaník

sailplane and with a tow rope attached, but

it is true that Tomáš Jirmus rarely makes

a tow with his “darling”. Rather, he enjoys

flying it for pleasure. And something more

about the owner of OK-CXB: Tomáš is the

nephew of two-time world champion Petr

Jirmus, he is a commercial airline pilot, and

he is a senior instructor at AK Tábor. He is

also called “Stanislavovich” in his circle of

friends – after his father, also an active pilot,

who is Deputy Head of Flight Operations at

Tábor Aero Club. Tomáš Jirmus is also actively involved in one very charitable activity,

namely the organization of annual air meetings called the Czechoslovak Aircraft Gathering. Here, within the organizational team

led by Michal Masař, Tomáš carries on the

duty of Flight Director. This year's event took

place at the airport in Rakovník, next year it

will be somewhere else. If you would like to

come and see, for example, the largest civilian group flypast that can be seen in Czech

Republic, keep an eye on their website www.

scsl.cz. There you will find out about the date

and place of the 2023 event at the earliest.

And maybe you will see OK-CXB live there!

INFO Eduard

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