Aero Ae-45
| Ae 45 | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Let Aero Ae 145 | |
| Role | Utility aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Aero Vodochody, Let |
| First flight | 21 July 1947 |
| Primary users | Czechoslovakia China Hungary Soviet Union |
| Produced | 1951-1963 |
| Number built | 590[1] |
The Aero 45 was a twin piston-engined civil utility aircraft produced in Czechoslovakia after World War II. It was the first product of the nation's post-war aviation industry and proved a great success, with many of the 590 produced exported.
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[edit] Design and development
The development began 1946 and was accomplished by the technical designers Jiři Bouzek, Ondřej Němec and František Vik. The design bears a superficial resemblance, viewed nose-on, to the German Siebel type Si-204 which, among other German aircraft like the Bf 109, were produced in Czechoslovakia while under German occupation. The prototype (registered OK-BCA) flew for the first time on 21 July 1947, the second, registered OK-CDA, one year later. Flight testing ran without incidents and the type was released for series production in 1948. The model number of "45" was not a continuation of Aero's pre-war numeration scheme, but a reference to the 4/5 seats in the aircraft.
[edit] Operational history
Ae-45 prototypes were widely advertised abroad. In August 1949 Jan Anderle won Norton Griffiths Race in Great Britain (Ae-45 registration OK-DCL). They also set several international records. As a result, apart from Eastern Bloc countries, the plane was also bought by Italy and Switzerland. On 10-11 August 1958 an Italian Ae-45 flew 3000 kilometers from South America to Dakar across southern Atlantic (as the first Czechoslovak-built aircraft), in 1981 Jon Svensen flew Ae-45S from Europe to the USA.[1]
This type was used in Czechoslovakia and was exported to the People's Republic of China, East Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Soviet Union and Switzerland. Hungary was a major customer, where the aircraft was known as the Kócsag (Hungarian: "Egret").
[edit] Variants
- Aero 45
- First production version built in Aero factory, 200 built between 1948 and 1951.
- Aero 45S "Super Aero"
- Improved variant produced by Let in Kunovice factory, among others with better navigational equipment. 228 aircraft built between 1954 and 1959.
- Aero 145
- Version with engines changed to supercharged Motorlet (Walter) M332, produced later as Avia M332s. This version was developed and built by Let, 162 aircraft built between 1959 and 1963.
- Aero 245
- Experimental version, not produced.
- Aero 345
- Experimental version, not produced.
- Sungari-1
- Chinese unlicensed copy of the Aero Ae 45S, produced from 1958.[1]
[edit] Operators
[edit] Civil operators
- Hungarian Police
- LOT Polish Airlines operated 3 Ae-45 in 1952-1957[2]
- Polish Air Ambulance Service operated Ae-45 and Ae-145
- Vietnam Civil Aviation Department - later as Vietnam Civil Aviation (now Vietnam Airlines) [3]
[edit] Military operators
- People's Liberation Army Air Force operated license-built Suingari-1 variant.
- Czechoslovak Air Force operated aircraft under designation K-75, for liaison purpose.
- Czechoslovakian National Security Guard
- Indian Air Force operated a single aircraft gifted by the Czech government
- Vietnam People's Air Force – 3 Ae-45 from 1956 (acquired from China)
[edit] Specifications (Super Aero 45)
[edit] Description
The Aero 45 had a sleek, teardrop-shaped fuselage, with a rounded, extensively-glazed nose affording excellent visibility. It had a low wing on which the engine nacelles were mounted, and a conventional tail. The main undercarriage was retractable but the tailwheel was fixed.
Data from {name of first source}
General characteristics
- Crew: one, pilot
- Capacity: 3-4 passengers
- Length: 7.54 m (24 ft 9 in)
- Wingspan: 12.60 m (46 ft 7 in)
- Height: 2.30 m (7 ft 7 in)
- Wing area: 17.09 m² (184 ft²)
- Empty weight: 960 kg (2,112 lb)
- Loaded weight: 1,510 kg (3,322 lb)
- Max. takeoff weight: 1,600 kg (3,527 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × Walter Minor-III 4-cylinder inline engine, 77 kW (105 hp) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 270 km/h (146 knots, 168 mph)
- Range: 1,600 km (864 nm, 1,000 miles)
- Service ceiling: 4,400 m (14,400 ft)
- Rate of climb: 300 m/min (984 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 88 kg/m² (18 lb/ft²)
- Power/mass: 0.08 kW/kg (0.05 hp/lb)
[edit] See also
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Vaclav Nemecek, Atlas letadel. Dvoumotorova obchodni letadla, Praha 1987
- ^ Adam Jońca: Samoloty linii lotniczych 1945-1956, WKiŁ, Warsaw 1985, ISBN 83-206-0529-0
- ^ Our Background vietnamairlines.com
- Vaclav Nemecek, Atlas letadel. Dvoumotorova obchodni letadla, Praha 1987
[edit] External links
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