A single-seat primary training glider of wooden construction, in a braced high-wing configuration.
Designed by engineer Waclaw Czerwinski. The prototype was built at the Military Glider Workshops and was first flown in the spring of 1937 at the Rakowice airfield in Krakow. It proved to be a very successful and safe design — it entered production at WWS in Krakow under the name Zaba. Based on experience gained during operation, the designer introduced minor improvements to the glider, which was then built under the name Zaba bis at the Lwow Aviation Workshops.
The Zaba gliders were used in glider schools throughout Poland. By the outbreak of war in 1939, approximately 140 examples of both variants had been produced in Krakow and Lwow. Noteworthy is the fact that ergonomic research was conducted during the design of the Zaba. This led to the design of a specially shaped pilot seat that protected the pilot’s spine during hard landings. An oil-pneumatic shock absorber was also introduced between the skid and the lattice fuselage.
One example, bearing the markings SP-1265, was preserved throughout the war in Krosno and, after overhaul, was registered as SP-167. It was then operated at the Gliding Institute in Bielsko-Biala between 1947 and 1950. It was transferred to the Museum collection after the Aviation Exhibition marking the 20th anniversary of the Polish People’s Republic in 1964.
| Wingspan | 9.3 m |
| Length | 5.45 m |
| Takeoff weight | 164 kg |
| Empty weight | 85 kg |
| Maximum speed | 150 km/h |
| Wing area | 13.8 m2 |
| Glide ratio | 11 at optimal speed of 54 km/h |
| Sink rate | min. 1.23 m/s at economical speed of 45 km/h |
| Minimum speed | – |
| Maximum diving speed | – |
