| Ae 45 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 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 being 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.[1]
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[]
1957-built Aero 45S series II registered in Malaya
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 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]
Operators[]
Aero Ae 145 used in Poland as an air ambulance
(Polish Aviation Museum)
1948 Lufthansa LET Aero 45
Civil operators[]
Czechoslovakia- East Germany
- Interflug[2]
- Hungary
- Hungarian Police
- Italy
- Malaya
- Poland
- LOT Polish Airlines operated 3 Ae-45 in 1952-1957[3]
- Polish Air Ambulance Service operated Ae-45 and Ae-145
- Romania
- Aviasan
- Soviet Union
- Aeroflot
- Switzerland
- Slovenia
- Aeroclub Ajdovščina
- Vietnam
- Vietnam Civil Aviation Department - later as Vietnam Civil Aviation (now Vietnam Airlines) [4]
Military operators[]
- People's Republic of China
- People's Liberation Army Air Force operated license-built Suingari-1 variant.
- Czechoslovakia
- Czechoslovak Air Force operated aircraft under designation K-75, for liaison purpose.
- Czechoslovakian National Security Guard
East Germany
- Hungary
- India
- Indian Air Force operated a single aircraft gifted by the Czech government
- Romania
- Vietnam
- Vietnam People's Air Force – 3 Ae-45 from 1956 (acquired from China)
Specifications (Aero 145)[]
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 Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1961–62[5]
General characteristics
- Crew: one, pilot
- Capacity: 3-4 passengers
- Length: 7.77 m (25 ft 6 in)
- Wingspan: 12.25 m (46 ft 21⁄2 in)
- Height: 2.30 m (7 ft 6 in)
- Wing area: 17.1 m² (184 ft²)
- Airfoil: Aero No. 58-64
- Empty weight: 960 kg (2,116 lb)
- Loaded weight: 1,500 kg (3,306 lb)
- Max. takeoff weight: 1,600 kg (3,527 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × Walter M 332-III air-cooled 4-cylinder inline engine, 104 kW (140 hp) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 282 km/h (152 knots, 175 mph)
- Cruise speed: 250 km/h (135 knots, 155 mph)
- Range: 1,700 km (918 nm, 1,055 miles)
- Service ceiling: 5,900 m (19,360 ft)
- Rate of climb: 5.0 m/s (985 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 88 kg/m² (18 lb/ft²)
- Power/mass: 0.08 kW/kg (0.05 hp/lb)
See also[]
- Miles Gemini
- Beechcraft Twin Bonanza
References[]
- Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Vaclav Nemecek, Atlas letadel. Dvoumotorova obchodni letadla, Praha 1987
- ↑ Hardy, M. J. Air Taxi, Sir? article in Aircraft Annual 1964 UK Ian Allan 1963 p.61 bw plate
- ↑ Adam Jońca: Samoloty linii lotniczych 1945-1956, WKiŁ, Warsaw 1985, ISBN 83-206-0529-6
- ↑ Our Background vietnamairlines.com
- ↑ Taylor 1961, pp. 37–38.
- Bibliography
- Taylor, John W. R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1961–62. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1961.
- Nemecek, Vaclav. Atlas letadel. Dvoumotorova obchodni letadla, Praha 1987
External links[]
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