The 242 was designed for students to go from it into a jet trainer like the L-39, so it was designed with "jet trainer-like" handling. The wing tips generate nice big vortices and it's a pretty draggy aeroplane requiring a bit of power down final. Pull the power off and you get a lot of sink. It has a wonderfully powerful and light elevator requiring just fingertip control via a huge stick (looks like a tractor part - Zlin's owner Morovan builds tractors).
So, the Zlin-242 looks a bit like a tame Piper and yet it's nothing like a Piper - vastly different! Like the Zlin-50, the wing has a life. There is nitrogen pumped in the wing spar, that is plumed to a pressure gauge in the cockpit. The idea being that if pressure is lost, there is a big problem with the wing - nice feature!
The Zlin-242'S wing is pretty thick, but the kits wing is way too thick. All in all, it was a fun little build - more a challenge to see if I could still build anything this tiny! I did add some detail to the cockpit, split the elevator, added the landing light and exhausts.
