The Letov Š-10 was a

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 ...

trainer aircraft A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate flight training of pilots and aircrews. The use of a dedicated trainer aircraft with additional safety features—such as tandem flight controls, forgiving flight characteristic ...

produced in the 1920s by the Czechoslovak company

Letov Kbely Letov is an aircraft company located in Letňany district of Prague, Czech Republic. It is the oldest aircraft company in the region. History Letov was founded in 1918 by the Czechoslovak Ministry of Defense to repair World War I trophy planes ...

. It was a licensed copy of the German design Hansa-Brandenburg B.I and could hold 2 people. The Š-10 served in the

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 ...

and later were acquired by aeroclubs and organizations of the Masaryk Aviation League ().

Origin and development

The Letov Š-10 was a licensed copy of the Hansa-Brandenburg B.I series 76, which is widely used by the

Austro-Hungarian Aviation Troops The Austro-Hungarian Aviation Troops or Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops ( or , ) were the air force of the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Empire until the Dissolution of Austria-Hungary, empire's dissolution in 1918; it saw combat o ...

. This type of plane was among the most numerous aircraft found in Czechoslovakia after or shortly after independence, and later it was decided to further increase the number of aircraft produced via domestic production. Aero Vodochody created the Aero Ae-10, and in 1922 the production of 51 Š-10s was started at the Letov factory. The Š-10s were equipped with a six-cylinder in-line Mercedes D.I engine, the pistons of whose rear cylinders were excessively flooded with oil when stationary on the ground, which earned the aircraft the nickname "anchovy" or "sardine". Another unofficial nickname for the Ae-10 and Š-10 types was "little firecracker", which they shared with the original Brandenburg B.I.

Operational history

The Š-10 served the

, along with its related Aero Ae-10 aircraft, as a basic pilot training aircraft. Even though it was soon supplemented by the more modern Š-18, it was not completely replaced in military service until the introduction of the Praga E-39 aircraft in the early 1930s. The Š-10 was characterized by considerable stability, flight safety and overall ease of piloting, which led to its popularity among pilots, but was soon felt to be a certain deficiency, as these features failed to adequately prepare students for piloting more demanding combat aircraft. After being withdrawn from military service, some of the Š-10s were acquired by aeroclubs and organizations of the Masaryk Aviation League (MLL). The Š-10.1 aircraft, named "Zdena", served at the MLL branch in Nymburk until November 1936.

Operators

* **

** Masaryk Aviation League

Specifications

Source:

Technical data

* Crew: 2 (instructor and student) * Span: * Length: * Bearing area: * Empty weight: * Takeoff weight: * Powerplant: 1 × liquid-cooled six-cylinder in-line Mercedes D.I engine * Power of the drive unit: 74 kW (100 hp)

Performance

* Maximum speed: * Cruising speed: * Climb capacity: can climb to 1,000 m elevation in 9 minutes and 30 seconds * Range:

References

Sources

* * {{Letov aircraft Letov aircraft Biplanes Czech and Czechoslovak military trainer aircraft