The aircraft were built by Moravan Aviation, founded in 1934 by Tomáš Baťa in Czechoslovakia.

As a follow-on and replacement for the successful Zlín Trener series of tandem aerobatic trainers, Moravan developed a new family of light aircraft, featuring a side-by-side seat layout, and comprising a two-seat trainer, the Zlín Z 42 and a four-seat trainer/tourer aircraft, the Zlín Z 43.
The Z 42 first flew on 17 October 1967, achieving airworthiness certification on 7 September 1970.

The aircraft fuselage center section is of welded steel tube, covered with sheet metal and fiberglass panels.
 The tailcone is of monocoque construction.
 The empennage is of sheet metal.
The two-spar wings are of all-metal construction.
 The tricycle landing gear is fixed, with a steerable nosewheel.
 Designed for aerobatics instruction, it was certified to +6.0 and -4.0 limit maneuvering load factors, and was equipped with full inverted fuel and oil systems, permitting extended inverted flight.
 The Z 42 is powered by a Walter inverted six-cylinder engine rated at 134 kW (180 hp).

The revised Zlín Z 42M flew in November 1972, with a revised tail taken from the Z 43, and a Constant speed propeller replacing the variable pitch propeller (where the propeller pitch is controlled by the pilot) of the original Z 42.
 When early Z 42s were refitted with the new propeller, they were redesignated Z 42 MU.

Development continued, with the Zlín Z 142, featuring a slightly enlarged two-seat airframe based on that of the Z 42 and the more powerful (157 kW (210 hp)) Walter (now LOM) M 337  fuel-injected inverted six-cylinder, supercharged air-cooled engine of the Z 43 replacing the unsupercharged LOM M137 engine of the Z 42.
The prototype Z-142 first flew on 29 December 1978.

In the late 1980s, further development work was initiated.
 The inverted inline engine was replaced with a four-cylinder horizontally-opposed Lycoming IO-360 engine.
 This variant is designated the Z 242, and is immediately distinguishable by its relatively wide cowling which houses the flat-four engine.
The aircraft were built by Moravan Aviation, founded in 1934 by Tomáš Baťa in Czechoslovakia.
As a follow-on and replacement for the successful Zlín Trener series of tandem aerobatic trainers, Moravan developed a new family of light aircraft, featuring a side-by-side seat layout, and comprising a two-seat trainer, the Zlín Z 42 and a four-seat trainer/tourer aircraft, the Zlín Z 43. The Z 42 first flew on 17 October 1967, achieving airworthiness certification on 7 September 1970.
The aircraft fuselage center section is of welded steel tube, covered with sheet metal and fiberglass panels.  The tailcone is of monocoque construction.  The empennage is of sheet metal. The two-spar wings are of all-metal construction.  The tricycle landing gear is fixed, with a steerable nosewheel.  Designed for aerobatics instruction, it was certified to +6.0 and -4.0 limit maneuvering load factors, and was equipped with full inverted fuel and oil systems, permitting extended inverted flight.  The Z 42 is powered by a Walter inverted six-cylinder engine rated at 134 kW (180 hp).
The revised Zlín Z 42M flew in November 1972, with a revised tail taken from the Z 43, and a Constant speed propeller replacing the variable pitch propeller (where the propeller pitch is controlled by the pilot) of the original Z 42.  When early Z 42s were refitted with the new propeller, they were redesignated Z 42 MU.
Development continued, with the Zlín Z 142, featuring a slightly enlarged two-seat airframe based on that of the Z 42 and the more powerful (157 kW (210 hp)) Walter (now LOM) M 337  fuel-injected inverted six-cylinder, supercharged air-cooled engine of the Z 43 replacing the unsupercharged LOM M137 engine of the Z 42. The prototype Z-142 first flew on 29 December 1978.
In the late 1980s, further development work was initiated.  The inverted inline engine was replaced with a four-cylinder horizontally-opposed Lycoming IO-360 engine.  This variant is designated the Z 242, and is immediately distinguishable by its relatively wide cowling which houses the flat-four engine.
Zlín Z 42