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 exported.

Design and development

The development began 1946 and was accomplished by the technical designers Jiři Bouzek, Ondřej Nemec and František Vik. The prototype (identification: OK-BCA) flew for the first time on 21 July 1947, the second with the identification 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.

This type was used in Czechoslovakia and was exported to the People's Republic of China, East Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Soviet Union and Switzerland. Hungary was a major customer, where the aircraft was known as the Kócsag (Hungarian: "Egret").

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

Version with engines changed to supercharged 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.

Operators

Civil operators

• Interflug
• LOT Polish Airlines operated 3 Ae-45 in 1952-1957
• Polish Air Ambulance Service operated Ae-45 and Ae-145
• Aviasan
• Aeroflot

Military operators

• People's Liberation Army Air Force operated license-built Suingari-1 variant.
• Czechoslovak Air Force operated aircraft under designation K-75, for liaison purpose.

• East German Air Force
• Hungarian Air Force
• Indian Air Force operated a single aircraft gifted by the Czech government
• Romanian Air Force
• Vietnam People's Air Force - 3 Ae-45 from 1956 (acquired from China)

Specifications (Super Aero 45)

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.

{{aircraft specifications |plane or copter?= plane |jet or prop?= prop |ref={name of first source} |crew= one, pilot |capacity= 3-4 passengers |length main=7.54 m |length alt= 24 ft 9 in |span main= 12.60 m |span alt= 46 ft 7 in |height main= 2.30 m |height alt= 7 ft 7 in |area main= 17.09 m² |area alt= 184 ft² |airfoil= |empty weight main= 960 kg |empty weight alt= 2,112 lb |loaded weight main= 1,510 kg |loaded weight alt= 3,322 lb |useful load main= |useful load alt= |max takeoff weight main= 1,600 kg |max takeoff weight alt= 3,527 lb |more general=

|engine (prop)= Walter Minor-III |type of prop= 4-cylinder inline engine |number of props=2 |power main= 77 kW |power alt= 105 hp |power original=

|max speed main= 270 km/h |max speed alt= 146 knots, 168 mph |cruise speed main= |cruise speed alt= |never exceed speed main= |never exceed speed alt= |stall speed main= |stall speed alt= |range main= 1,600 km |range alt= 864 nm, 1,000 miles |ceiling main= 1,350 m |ceiling alt= 4,429 ft |climb rate main= 300 m/min |climb rate alt= 984 ft/min |loading main= 88 kg/m² |loading alt= 18 lb/ft² |thrust/weight= |power/mass main= 0.08 kW/kg |power/mass alt= 0.05 hp/lb |more performance= |armament= |avionics= }}

References

• Vaclav Nemecek, Atlas letadel. Dvoumotorova obchodni letadla, Praha 1987

External links

Pictures of various Ae 45s at airliners.net

See also