Polyteknikkojen Ilmailukerho

Polyteknikkojen Ilmailukerho (PIK)

Company type	Student aviation club
Industry	Aviation, Aircraft design and development
Founded	March 26, 1931 (1931-03-26)
Headquarters	Otaniemi, Espoo , Finland
Area served	Finland
Products	Light aircraft, gliders

PIK20

PIK20

Polyteknikkojen Ilmailukerho (abbreviated as PIK) serves as the aviation club for students at Aalto University. Beyond functioning as a flying club, it engages in the development of light aircraft and gliders, typically on a modest scale, although some of its designs have reached mass production. To date, roughly 536 aircraft have been constructed by PIK and its subcontractors. The organization resembles the Akaflieg groups found at German universities, where students design aircraft under faculty supervision to gain hands-on experience prior to entering the workforce.

History

The club was established on March 26, 1931. During its initial two years, it operated under the names "Aviation Scouts" and subsequently "Polytechnic Aviation Club". Initially affiliated with the Helsinki Institute of Technology, it became part of Aalto University following the 2010 merger with the Helsinki School of Economics and the University of Art and Design Helsinki. The club is headquartered in Otaniemi, Espoo.

Equipment

Aircraft owned by the club are available for rental by members. Presently, PIK's fleet includes one motor-glider alongside five sailplanes: Grob 103, DG-500, Rolladen-Schneider LS8, Rolladen-Schneider LS4, and Grob G102 Astir. Gliding activities take place at Räyskälä, while light aircraft operate out of Malmi Airport near Helsinki. A PIK-23 serves as the tow-plane. The light aircraft inventory comprises a Diamond DA-40, a Cessna 152, and a PIK-23.

Gliders

Members of the club have designed various gliders, including:

• PIK-1 (1938); construction halted due to World War II
• PIK-2 primary glider (1938); not built because of World War II
• PIK-3a Kanttikolmonen Design initiated in 1942; maiden flight in 1950; first PIK design to enter production with four units built
• PIK-3c Kajava (1957)
• PIK-4 primary glider (1944); project canceled due to World War II
• PIK-5 Cumulus (1945); first flight in 1946; 27 units produced
• PIK-6 (1946); not realized because of financial constraints
• PIK-7 Harakka primary glider; total of 57 constructed
• PIK-10 motorized adaptation of the Grunau Baby, first flown in 1949
• PIK-12 two-seat model designed by Ilkka Lounamaa; first flight in 1956; four built
• PIK-13 Open Class glider from 1953–1954
• PIK-14 (1956); project abandoned to focus resources on PIK-3c
• PIK-16 Vasama (1959); maiden flight in 1961
• PIK-17a Tumppi Two units completed
• PIK-17b Tintti
• PIK-20 Tiu Models A, B, D, E
• PIK-22 Two-seat glider; remained unfinished
• PIK-24 Pileus motorglider combining an RF-4D fuselage with wings from the PIK-20
• PIK-30 motorglider

The PIK-3 was crafted by Lars Norrmen and Ilkka Lounamaa, achieving its first flight in 1950. It gained popularity among Finnish gliding clubs, with a total production count of 40.

Designed by Tuomo Tervo, Jorma Jalkenen, and Kurt Hedström, the PIK-16 Vasama ("Arrow") saw a PIK-16C secure third place in the World Gliding Championships standard class competition in 1963. KK Lehtovaara O/Y undertook series production, manufacturing 56 units.

The PIK-20 "Tiu," developed under student Pekka Tammi’s leadership as part of his diploma thesis between 1971 and 1973 with guidance from Ilkka Rantasalo and Raimo Nurminen, had its inaugural flight in 1973. Initially produced by Molino O/Y—which was acquired by Eiri-Avion O/Y in 1974—the model continued production thereafter. At the World Gliding Championships in 1976, PIK-20 gliders achieved a clean sweep by taking the top three positions in the standard class. By 1981, a total of 409 PIK-20 variants had been manufactured, with exports accounting for approximately 85%. In 1980, manufacturing rights for the PIK-20E were transferred to French company Siren.

Powered aircraft

File:Towmaster-oh-tow-1981.jpg

PIK-23 Towmaster

• PIK-8 A wooden two-seat design that remained unbuilt
• PIK-9 A single-seat wooden trainer aircraft, existing only as a concept
• PIK-11 Tumppu Single-seat model; maiden flight occurred in 1953 with a total of four units produced
• PIK-15 Hinu Two-seat trainer and glider tug; first flown in 1962, with seven manufactured by Valmet
• PIK-18 Sytky Powered by a Volkswagen engine; initial flight took place on 9 July 1976
• PIK-19 Muhinu Conducted its first flight in 1972; only one unit completed due to absence of production facilities
• PIK-21 Super-Sytky First flown on 16 May 1981; three aircraft were built
• Valmet PIK-23 Towmaster Two examples constructed; maiden flight in 1982
• PIK-25 Varttimarkka Two-seat aircraft designed for large-scale production; first flew on 21 June 2007, though regulatory challenges delayed the project by 22 years
• PIK-26 Ultralight single-seater; took to the air initially on 10 August 1996, with four units produced
• PIK-27 Sehinu Glider tow plane; first flight recorded on 21 December 2006

Further information

• Rudolf H. Böttcher: PIK, eine Akademische Fliegergruppe in Finnland. Unpublished lecture manuscript. Akaflieg Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, 1980.
• Vilho Harle: Vinka ja Haukka. Tampere, 1978.
• Jukka Raunio: Lentäjän näkökulma III, PIK-sarjan lentokoneet. J. Raunio, 1995. ISBN 951-96866-1-4.