The Aero 45 was a twin-piston engined civil utility
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engine ...
produced in
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
Aero Vodochody produced the aircraft in 1947–1951, after which the
Let Kunovice
Aircraft Industries, a.s.,[Contacts]
" Let Kunovice. Retrieved on 19 May 2011. "Aircraft Industries, a.s. Na Záhonech 1177 ...
rolled out these planes until 1961. In 1958 the Ae-45S became the first Czechoslovak plane to cross the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
. It was the first product of the nation's postwar aviation industry and proved a great success, with many of the 590 produced being exported.
Design and development
![Arrivals, Ruzyně (7871112218)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Arrivals%2C_Ruzyn%C4%9B_%287871112218%29.jpg)
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
The Siebel Si 204 was a small twin-engined transport and trainer aircraft developed in World War II. It was based on the Fh 104 Hallore. Originally designed in response to an Ministry of Aviation development order for a small civil transport ai ...
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
Aero is a Greek prefix relating to flight and air. In British English, it is used as an adjective related to flight (e.g., as a shortened substitute for aeroplane).
Aero, Ærø, or Aeros may refer to:
Aeronautics Airlines and companies
* 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
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...
, with a rounded, extensively-glazed nose affording excellent visibility. It had a low wing on which the engine
nacelle
A nacelle ( ) is a "streamlined body, sized according to what it contains", such as an engine, fuel, or equipment on an aircraft. When attached by a pylon entirely outside the airframe, it is sometimes called a pod, in which case it is attached ...
s were mounted, and a
conventional tail
A vertical stabilizer or tail fin is the static part of the vertical tail of an aircraft. The term is commonly applied to the assembly of both this fixed surface and one or more movable rudders hinged to it. Their role is to provide control, sta ...
. 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
Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...
across the 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, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Soviet Union and Switzerland. Hungary was a major customer, where the aircraft was known as the ''Kócsag'' ( Hungarian: "]Egret
Egrets ( ) are herons, generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build ...
").
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 (I)
:Larger five-seat derivative of Ae-45 powered by Walter Minor
The Walter Minor is a family of four- and six-cylinder inverted inline air-cooled engines, developed under auspices of ing. Šimůnek and used on light aircraft. First produced in 1929, the Minor engines' family has an advanced design for the p ...
6-III engines and tricycle landing gear, not built.
;Aero 145 (II)
:Version with engines changed to supercharged Motorlet (Walter) M332, produced later as Avia M 332s. This version was developed and built by 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.[
]
Operators
Civil operators
* Commodore Aviation
;
;
*Interflug
Interflug GmbH (german: Interflug Gesellschaft für internationalen Flugverkehr m.b.H.; ) was the national airline of the German Democratic Republic from 1963 to 1990. Based in East Berlin, it operated scheduled and chartered flights to Europea ...
;
*Hungarian Police
*Hungarian Air Ambulance Service
;
;
;
* LOT Polish Airlines operated three Ae-45 in 1952–1957
* Polish Air Ambulance Service operated Ae-45 and Ae-145
;
* Aviasan
;
* Aeroflot
;
;
* Aeroclub Ajdovščina
;
* Vietnam Civil Aviation Department – later as Vietnam Civil Aviation (now Vietnam Airlines)
Military operators
;
*People's Liberation Army Air Force
The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF; ), also known as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army, the regular armed forces of the Peo ...
operated license-built ''Suingari-1'' variant.
;
*Czechoslovak Air Force
The Czechoslovak Air Force (''Československé letectvo'') or the Czechoslovak Army Air Force (''Československé vojenské letectvo'') was the air force branch of the Czechoslovak Army formed in October 1918. The armed forces of Czechoslovakia ce ...
operated aircraft under designation K-75, for liaison purpose.
*Czechoslovakian National Security Guard
*East German Air Force
The Air Forces of the National People's Army (german: Luftstreitkräfte der Nationalen Volksarmee; LSK) was the Air Force of East Germany. As with the , the , and the Border Troops, it was a military branch of the National People's Army (NVA).
...
;
*Hungarian Air Force
The Hungarian Air Force ( hu, Magyar Légierő), is the air force branch of the Military of Hungary, Hungarian Defence Forces.
The task of the current Hungarian Air Force is primarily defensive purposes. The flying units of the air force are or ...
;
* Indian Air Force operated a single aircraft gifted by the Czech government
;
*Katangese Air Force
The Katangese Air Force (french: Force aérienne katangaise, or FAK) or Katangese Military Aviation (french: Aviation militaire Katangaise, or Avikat) was a short lived air force of the State of Katanga, established in 1960 under the command of Ja ...
;
*Romanian Air Force
The Romanian Air Force (RoAF) ( ro, Forțele Aeriene Române) is the air force branch of the Romanian Armed Forces. It has an air force headquarters, an operational command, five airbases and an air defense brigade. Reserve forces include one ai ...
;
* Vietnam People's Air Force
The Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF, ), formally refers itself as the Air Defence - Air Force (ADAF, ) or the Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF, ), is the aerial warfare service branch of Vietnam. It is the successor of the former North Vietnamese ...
– three Ae-45 from 1956 (acquired from China)
Specifications (Aero 145)
See also
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
Pictures of various Ae 45s at airliners.net
{{Czech liaison aircraft
Ae 45
1940s Czechoslovakian civil utility aircraft
1940s Czechoslovakian military utility aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1947
Low-wing aircraft
Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft