Aero Ae-45
Ae 45 | |
---|---|
Let Aero Ae 145 | |
Role | Utility aircraft |
Manufacturer | Let Kunovice
|
First flight | 21 July 1947 |
Primary users | USSR and Switzerland[1]
|
Produced | 1947–1961 |
Number built | 590[2] |
The Aero 45 was a twin-piston engined civil utility
Design and development
Development began 1946 and was accomplished by the technical designers Jiři Bouzek, Ondřej Němec and František Vik. The design bears a superficial resemblance, when viewed nose-on, to the much larger German Siebel Si 204 which, among other German aircraft were produced in Czechoslovakia while under German occupation. The prototype (registered OK-BCA) flew for the first time on 21 July 1947 and 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.
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.
Operational history
Ae-45 prototypes were widely advertised abroad. In August 1949 Jan Anderle won the 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 Dr. Pier Paolo Brielli flew an Italian Ae-45 3000 kilometers from South America to Dakar across the southern Atlantic (as the first Czechoslovak-built aircraft). In 1981 Jon Svensen flew Ae-45S from Europe to the USA.[2]
This type was used in Czechoslovakia and was exported to the People's Republic of China, East Germany, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Soviet Union and Switzerland. Hungary was a major customer, where the aircraft was known as the Kócsag (Hungarian: "Egret").
Variants
- Aero 45
- First production version built in Aero factory. 200 built between 1948 and 1951.
- Aero 45S "Super Aero"
- Improved variant produced by Kunovicefactory, among others with better navigational equipment. 228 aircraft built between 1954 and 1959.
- Aero 145 (I)
- Larger five-seat derivative of Ae-45 powered by Walter Minor 6-III engines and tricycle landing gear, not built.
- Aero 145 (II)
- Version with engines changed to supercharged Motorlet (Walter) M332, produced later as Let, 162 aircraft built between 1959 and 1961.
- Aero 245
- Similar to 145, but with a tailwheel, not built.
- Aero 345
- Aero 45 airframe powered by Walter Minor 6-III engines, not built.
- Sungari-1
- Chinese unlicensed copy of the Aero Ae 45S, produced from 1958.[2]
Operators
Civil operators
- Hungarian Police
- Hungarian Air Ambulance Service
- LOT Polish Airlines operated three Ae-45 in 1952–1957[5]
- Polish Air Ambulance Serviceoperated Ae-45 and Ae-145
- Vietnam Civil Aviation Department – later as Vietnam Civil Aviation (now Vietnam Airlines) [6]
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.
- Czechoslovak National Security Guard
- Indian Air Force operated a single aircraft gifted by the Czech government
- Vietnam People's Air Force – three Ae-45 from 1956 (acquired from China)
Specifications (Aero 145)
Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1961–62[8]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Capacity: 3-4 passengers
- Length: 7.77 m (25 ft 6 in)
- Wingspan: 12.25 m (40 ft 2 in)
- Height: 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in)
- Wing area: 17.1 m2 (184 sq ft)
- Airfoil: Aero No.58-64
- Empty weight: 960 kg (2,116 lb)
- Gross weight: 1,500 kg (3,307 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 1,600 kg (3,527 lb) (full fuel)
- Fuel capacity: 324 L (86 US gal; 71 imp gal)
- Powerplant: 2 × Avia M 332-III 4-cylinder air-cooled inverted in-line piston engines, 100 kW (140 hp) each
- Propellers: 2-bladed Type V410, 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) diameter electrically-operated metal 4-position variable-pitch propellers
Performance
- Maximum speed: 282 km/h (175 mph, 152 kn) at 1,600 kg (3,500 lb) AUW
- Cruise speed: 250 km/h (160 mph, 130 kn) at 1,600 kg (3,500 lb) AUW
- Range: 1,700 km (1,100 mi, 920 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 5,900 m (19,400 ft)
- Service ceiling one engine out: 2,200 m (7,200 ft)
- Rate of climb: 5 m/s (980 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 87.8 kg/m2 (18.0 lb/sq ft)
- Power/mass: 9.5 kg/kW (15.7 lb/hp)
- Take-off run to 15 m (49 ft): 460 m (1,510 ft)
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
- Akaflieg Berlin B9
- Beechcraft Twin Bonanza
- Ikarus 451
- Miles Gemini
- Reid and Sigrist R.S.3
References
- ^ "Aero Ae-45: První československé aerotaxi". FlyMag.cz.
- ^ a b c Vaclav Nemecek, Atlas letadel. Dvoumotorova obchodni letadla, Praha 1987
- ^ "Legendární české aerotaxi vznikalo tajně. Místo letadel měli dělat hrnce". iDNES.cz (in Czech). 16 October 2013.
- ^ Hardy, M. J. Air Taxi, Sir? article in Aircraft Annual 1964 UK Ian Allan 1963 p.61 bw plate
- ISBN 83-206-0529-6
- ^ Our Background vietnamairlines.com
- ^ "World Air Forces — Aircraft — Katanga Aircraft". worldairforces.com. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ Taylor 1961, pp. 37–38.
Further reading
- Taylor, John W.R., ed. (1961). Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1961–62. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co.
- Němeček, Václav (1987). Atlas letadel. Dvoumotorova obchodni letadla (in Czech). Praha.
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