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The Praga BH-41, later redesignated E-41, was a military advanced trainer aircraft produced in Czechoslovakia during the 1930s.Taylor 1989, p.751''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft'' p.2777
The E-41 was selected as the winner of the competition, and a contract for 43 aircraft was signed. Praga also produced a version powered by a ZOD 260 radial diesel engine, designated the E-141. This was not a success and only a single prototype was built. In 1936, a BH-41 was fitted with a Walter Pollux II engine, and designated the E-241. Following successful trials, an order was placed for a second batch of aircraft, this time for 95 machines with this engine.
These aircraft continued service in the
Praga E-41 (E-1, BH-41) and E-241
{{Praga aircraft BH-41 1930s Czechoslovakian military trainer aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1931
Design and development
Designed in response to a Defence Ministry competition and based on the BH-39, it was a conventional biplane design with unstaggered two-bay wings of equal span. The pilot and instructor sat in open cockpits in tandem, and the fixed tailskid undercarriage featured divided main units. The powerplant had been specified by the government to be theHispano-Suiza 8F
The Hispano-Suiza 8 was a water-cooled V8 SOHC aero engine introduced by Hispano-Suiza in 1914, and was the most commonly used liquid-cooled engine in the aircraft of the Entente Powers during the First World War. The original Hispano-Suiza 8A ...
b which were then being manufactured under licence by Å koda
Å koda means ''pity'' in the Czech and Slovak languages. It may also refer to:
Czech brands and enterprises
* Škoda Auto, automobile and previously bicycle manufacturer in Mladá Boleslav
** Å koda Motorsport, the division of Å koda Auto respons ...
.
The E-41 was selected as the winner of the competition, and a contract for 43 aircraft was signed. Praga also produced a version powered by a ZOD 260 radial diesel engine, designated the E-141. This was not a success and only a single prototype was built. In 1936, a BH-41 was fitted with a Walter Pollux II engine, and designated the E-241. Following successful trials, an order was placed for a second batch of aircraft, this time for 95 machines with this engine.
These aircraft continued service in the Slovak–Hungarian War
The Slovak–Hungarian War, or Little War ( hu, Kis háború, sk, Malá vojna), was a war fought from 23 March to 31 March 1939 between the First Slovak Republic and Hungary in eastern Slovakia.
Prelude
After the Munich Pact, which weakened C ...
and into the Second World War
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 opposin ...
, when around 30 E-241s saw service with the Slovak Air Force
The Slovak Air Force, known since 2002 as the Air Force of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic ( sk, VzduÅ¡né sily Ozbrojených sÃl Slovenskej republiky), is the aviation and air defense branch of the Slovak Armed Forces. Operating 23 aircr ...
in its campaign against the Soviet Union together with the German Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
.
Variants
* BH-41 or E-41 - original version withHispano-Suiza 8F
The Hispano-Suiza 8 was a water-cooled V8 SOHC aero engine introduced by Hispano-Suiza in 1914, and was the most commonly used liquid-cooled engine in the aircraft of the Entente Powers during the First World War. The original Hispano-Suiza 8A ...
b engine (43 built)
* E-141 - version with ZOD 260 engine
* E-241 - version with Walter Pollux II engine (95 built)
Operators
; *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 c ...
;
*''Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
''
; Slovak Republic
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
*''Slovenské vzdušné zbrane
The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( sl, Slovenci ), are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Slovenia, and adjacent regions in Italy, Austria and Hungary. Slovenes share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovene as their n ...
''
Specifications (E-241)
See also
Notes
References
* * * *External links
*Praga E-41 (E-1, BH-41) and E-241
{{Praga aircraft BH-41 1930s Czechoslovakian military trainer aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1931