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By
Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aero_Ae_45
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.
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.
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.
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").
Variants
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Let Aero Ae 145 |
- 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 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.
Operators
Civil operators
 Czechoslovakia East Germany
 Italy Poland
 Romania
 Soviet Union
 Switzerland
Military operators
 People's Republic of China
- Czechoslovakia
East Germany
 Hungary
 India
- Romania
 Vietnam
Specifications (Super Aero 45)
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
See also
Comparable aircraft
External links
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Published in July 2009.
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