[2] The SZD-54 was designed in 1991 by Adam Meus as a universal sailplane for flight training and aerobatics, and is certified to European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) CS22 standards.

[9] The fuselage is a shell construction with welded tubular steel frames to support the wings and landing gear.

The laminar airfoil was developed for the SZD-41 / SZD-48 Jantar Standard by the team led by Professor Jerzy Ostrowski at the Aerodynamics Department of the Warsaw University of Technology.

The Perkoz is equipped with a fixed monowheel gear, a main wheel with spring suspension, a hydraulic disc brake, as well a small nosewheel and a tail caster.

[6] The first flight of the SZD-54 Perkoz prototype (registration number SP-P519) took place on 8 May 1991 in Jelenia Góra with pilot Jerzy Śmielkiewicz.

Some modifications were made to the first prototype: for example in order to improve the flight characteristics in aerobatics, the incidence angle of the wing was reduced to + 1°.

[15] The test flight of the new SZD-54-2 Perkoz (SP-8013) was conducted on 2 April 2007 with pilot Mariusz Stajewski for the EASA certification.

The EASA increased the safety requirements for new glider cockpits in the CS-22 construction rules during the certification process.

[15] The design of the Perkoz as a training and aerobatic two-seater sailplane makes it a very manoeuvrable aircraft with a high roll rate, even with a 20-metre wingspan.

[16] For spin training during basic and advanced flight instruction, the aircraft does not have any temporary modifications, such as e.g. adding extra weights to the tail unit.

At speeds exceeding 140 km/h, it presents disadvantages in comparison to designs that have been solely optimised for cross-country flight performance.

[18] The take-off distance in aerotow is short because the Perkoz has large wing surfaces and good climb rates for a training two-seater.