Its history begins in 1947 at the Czechoslovak Zlín works, later known as Moravan Otrokovice, when the prototype of a universal aircraft Z-26 Trener, designed by Karel Thomaš, made its first flight. It was a two-seat, single-engine, cantilever low-wing monoplane of mixed construction, designed for pilot training. Between 1949 and 1951, the Z-26 series was produced with wooden wings and powered by the Walter Minor 4-III engine. Later versions were of all-metal construction.
The Z-226 Bohatyr was developed in 1955 for glider towing. It received a six-cylinder Minor 6-III engine and proved to be an excellent aerobatic aircraft, which led to the creation of the Z-226 Akrobat the following year, designed exclusively for aerobatics. Later, other variants became well known, including the Z-226 AS Akrobat Special, the Z-326 Trener Master with retractable landing gear, and the Z-726 Universal.
The last prototype of the next version was built in 1973. In total, between 1947 and 1974, 1,457 aircraft of various variants were produced.
In Poland, Zlins were operated until 1974, and many examples converted into single-seat aerobatic machines continue to fly to this day.
The exhibited example, with factory number 640 and registration SP-ARM, belongs to the first production version. It was purchased by Poland in a batch of 38 units in 1952 and was in service until 1974. A total of 1,271 hours were flown on it. It was donated to the Museum by the Krakow Aero Club.
| Wingspan | 10.3 m |
| Length | 7.5 m |
| Takeoff weight | 760 kg |
| Maximum speed | 200 km/h |
| Ceiling | 4700 m |
| Range | 600 km |
| Armament | – |
| Engine | inverted inline Walter Minor 4-III, 105 hp (78 kW) |
