The Avia B.122 was a Czechoslovak single-seat

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

aerobatic aircraft, which was developed in the mid-1930s. It saw some service in the first years of World War II.

History

In the spring of 1934, the Czechoslovak Army Command decided that some Czechoslovak Air Force pilots would participate in the international

aerobatic competition Competition aerobatics is an air sport in which ground-based referee, judges rate the skill of pilots performing aerobatics, aerobatic flying. It is practised in both Reciprocating engine, piston-powered single-engine airplanes and also Glider (sa ...

Coupe Mondiale A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...

held at Vincennes, Paris, on 9–10 June. For this purpose, the Czechoslovakian aircraft manufacturer

Avia Avia Motors s.r.o. is a Czech automotive manufacturer. It was founded in 1919 as an aircraft maker, and diversified into trucks after 1945. As an aircraft maker it was notable for producing biplane fighter aircraft, especially the B-534. Avia ...

was given the task of designing and constructing an aircraft. The

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...

, B.122, was presented after only six weeks. The Czechoslovak pilots had only a few weeks to learn and master the aircraft as the competition was to be held in July 1934. Luckily, the design was quite successful and the Czechoslovak pilots managed to win the 4th (František Novák) and the 8th (

Ján Ambruš Ján Ambruš, Order of the British Empire#Current classes, OBE (19 May 1899 – 2 January 1994) was a Slovaks, Slovak aerobatics and fighter pilot. He flew with the French Air Force in the Battle of France and the Royal Air Force in the Battle o ...

) place in the competition. Afterwards, the aircraft was modified, based on the pilots' inputs, and this resulted in the improved version, Ba.122. The Ba.122 was equipped with larger rudder and ailerons on both upper and lower wings. On the occasion of

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-sp ...

in Berlin International Aerobatic Contest, "Internationaler Kunstflugwettbewerbs" was run by the German Aeroculub, "Aeroklub von Deutschland". Czechoslovak pilots won 2nd (Petr Široký), 3rd (František Novák) and 8th place (

) with their Avias. In this contest new engine Avia RK-17 was introduced, with aircraft Ba.122.7 (OK-AWE), Ba.122.8 (OK-AWA). 1937 was also a successful year, as the Avias managed to win 1st and 3rd place at the International Aviation Meeting in Zurich in July/August 1937. Some of these aircraft were equipped with nine-cylinder Walter Pollux engines to fit into category of aeroplanes with engines above 20L. These successes led to export orders from the Soviet Union and Romania. The aircraft was later further developed into prototypes Ba.222, Ba.322 and Ba.422. The Czechoslovak Ministry of Defence ordered 45 Bs.122 trainers. However, the outbreak of World War II put an end to further development. Some Avias ended up in the German '' Luftwaffe'' when parts of Czechoslovakia were absorbed into Nazi Germany in 1939. Other aircraft were sold to the Slovakian and Bulgarian air forces.

Variants

;B.122:3 prototype machines with Walter Castor II engine, B-122.2 and .3 later modified to Ba.122 standard ;Ba.122:improved variant with ailerons on both wings and enlarged rudder, mostly with Avia RK-17 engine ;Ba.222:Ba.122 with NACA cowling and wheel pants ;Ba.422:Ba.122 with upper gull wing to improve front visibility in inverted flight ;Bš.122:Military trainer variant of the Ba.122, staggered wings, Walter Castor II engine ;B.322:Bš-122 with enclosed cockpit and

Townend cowling A Townend ring is a narrow- chord cowling ring fitted around the cylinders of an aircraft radial engine to reduce drag and improve cooling. Development The Townend ring was the invention of Dr. Hubert Townend of the British National Physica ...

Production

* B/Ba.122: 60 machines, serials B.122.1-Ba.122.45, Ba.122.101-115 (series for Soviet Union) * Bš.122: 45 machines * Ba.222: one prototype * Ba.322: one prototype * Ba.422: 2 machines

Operators

Bulgarian Air Force The Bulgarian Air Force ( bg, Военновъздушни сили, Voennovazdushni sili) is one of the three branches of the Military of Bulgaria, the other two being the Bulgarian Navy and Bulgarian land forces. Its mission is to guard and p ...

– 12 Bs 122 aircraft taken over from the Czechoslovak Air Force, named ″Vosa″ (″Wasp″) ;:

Czechoslovakian 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 ...

– 45 Bš.122 and 45 B/Ba.122 aircraft ;: Luftwaffe – 12 aircraft taken over from the Czechoslovak Air Force ;: Royal Romanian Air Force – one machine, Ba-122.40, YR-DPO ;: Slovak Air Force (1939–45) ;: Soviet Air Force – 15 Ba.122 aircraft

Specifications (Ba.122)

''Data from'' Němeček, Václav – Československá letadla

References