Avia

Avia is a Czech aircraft and automotive company notable for producing biplane fighter aircraft, especially the B-534, and trucks.

History

The company was founded in 1919 and became part of Škoda in 1928. During the 1930s the factory became the biggest aircraft producer in Czechoslovakia and moved to Letňany. During World War II Avia produced aircraft for the German Luftwaffe. After the war the company was nationalized and became involved in the automotive industry. It manufactured aircraft up to 1963, then continued to make aircraft engines (producing only propellers from 1988) and targeted truck production. The company was split in 1992 into propeller and truck sections, both using the Avia brand.

Aircraft

Before the war the company produced civilian and military aircraft, including the Avia BH-21, Avia B-534 and Avia B-71 (Soviet licensed Tupolev SB).

Avia had started building Messerschmitt Me 109G soon after WWII as the Avia S-99, but soon ran out of the 109's Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine. Also during the war the Germans set up a number of assembly plants in Czechoslovakia for production of the Messerschmitt Me 262. After the war the manufacturing infrastructure remained intact, so production could start up again for the new owners.

The first Avia S-92 was assembled at Letňany Research Institute in 1945 with the airframes coming from Avia and the engines from the repair works in Malešice (the Junkers Jumo 004, now called the M-04). The S-92's first flight was on 27 September 1946, with Avia's chief pilot Antonin Kraus in control. That same year on December 10th the CS-92 took to the air for the first time.

Delivery of the first S-92 to the Czech air force was on 6 February 1948. Twelve were made in all, nine S-92 and three CS-92, equipping the 5th Fighter Flight, until they were grounded for use as instructional airframes in 1951.

By the time Yugoslavia showed interest in buying the S-92, Avia was looking at closing down the production line to make way for new up-to-date aircraft, and when Avia were given a license to make the Mig 15 (they were already making the Yak 23, as the S-101) the S-92 production lines were dismantled.

An Avia S-92 (A-1a) and Avia CS-92 (B-1a) can be seen at the Vojenské Muzeum, Kbely AB.

The Avia S-199 was a fighter aircraft built in Czechoslovakia after World War II using parts and plans left over from Luftwaffe aircraft production that had taken place in the country during the war. While a problematic aircraft, unpopular with its pilots, it achieved fame as the first fighter obtained by the Israeli Air Force for use during the War of Independence. Czechoslovakian pilots nicknamed it "Mezek" ("Mule"), whilst in Israel it was known as the "Messer" ("knife"; it is a common mistake that it was nicknamed "Sakeen"; the official name was even different - "Python").

The S-199 continued to use the Me 109G airframe, but with none of the original engines available, the engine (Junkers Jumo 211) and propeller from the Heinkel He 111 bomber were used instead. The result of this compromise was an aircraft with poor handling qualities. The substitute engine lacked the responsiveness of the Daimler-Benz unit, was heavier, and the torque created by the massive paddle-bladed propeller made control difficult. This latter flaw, combined with the 109's narrow-track undercarriage also made landings and take-offs more hazardous. A final hidden danger lay in the synchronization gear which did not seem to work properly, leading a few Israeli aircraft to shoot off their own propellers.

Later produced Avia B-33 (licensed Ilyushin Il-10) or Avia 14 (licensed Ilyushin Il-14), that airliner version (able to carry 42 passengers) became the largest aircraft ever produced in Czechoslovakia.

List of aircraft

*Avia BH-1 (1920) Single-piston-engine monoplane two-seat touring aircraft. One built

*Avia BH-2 (1921) Single-piston-engine monoplane one-seat touring aircraft. One built

*Avia BH-3 (1921) Fighter aircraft development of BH-2

*Avia BH-4 (1922) Development of BH-3 with larger engine. One built

*Avia BH-5 (1923) Single-piston-engine monoplane two-seat touring aircraft. One built

*Avia BH-6 (1923) Single-piston-engine one-seat biplane fighter aircraft. One built

*Avia BH-7 (1923) Single-piston-engine one-seat parasol-wing fighter/racer aircraft. Two built

*Avia BH-8 (1923) Development of BH-6. One built

*Avia BH-9 (1923) Development of BH-5

*Avia BH-10 (1924) Development of BH-9. One-seat sport aircraft

*Avia BH-11 (1923) Development of BH-9. Two-seat sport aircraft

*Avia BH-12 (1924) Development of BH-9 with foldable wings

*Avia BH-16 (1924) Very light single-piston-engine one-seat monoplane touring aircraft

*Avia BH-17 (1924) Single-piston-engine one-seat biplane fighter aircraft

*Avia BH-19 (1924) Development of BH-3. Two built

*Avia BH-20 (1924) Single-piston-engine two-seat biplane training aircraft

*Avia BH-21 (1925) Single-piston-engine one-seat biplane fighter/racing aircraft

*Avia BH-22 (1924) Single-piston-engine two-seat trainer aircraft. Developed from BH-21

*Avia BH-23 (1926) Night-fighter development of BH-21 and BH-22. Two built

*Avia BH-25 (1926) Single-piston-engine seven-seat biplane transport aircraft

*Avia BH-26 (1927) Single-piston-engine two-seat biplane reconnaissance aircraft

*Avia BH-27 (late 1920s) Single-piston-engine four-seat high-wing monoplane transport aircraft. Not built

*Avia BH-28 (1927) Single-piston-engine two-seat biplane reconnaissance aircraft. One built

*Avia BH-29 (1927) Single-piston-engine two-seat biplane trainer aircraft

*Avia BH-33 (1927) Single-piston-engine one-seat fighter aircraft. Development of BH-21 with larger engine

*Avia BH-39 (1929) Czech bomber adaptation of Fokker F.IX, three-piston-engine high-wing monoplane

*Avia B-34 (1932) Single-piston-engine one-seat biplane fighter

*Avia B-534 (1933) Single-piston-engine one-seat biplane fighter

*Avia B-122 (1934) Single-piston-engine one-seat biplane aerobatic aircraft

*Avia B-71 (1934) Czech version of Russian Tupolev SB two-piston-engine monoplane bomber

*Avia B-35 (1938) Single-piston-engine monoplane fighter

*Avia B-135 (1938) Production version of B-35 with metal wing

*Avia B-158

*Avia S-92 (1944) Czech production version of German Me 262, two-jet-engine one- or two-seat fighter aircraft

*Avia S-99 (1945) Czech postwar production of German Bf-109G single-piston-engine fighter aircraft

*Avia B-33 (1944) Czech production version of Russian Ilyushin Il-10, single-piston-engine two-seat low-wing ground-attack aircraft

*Avia S-199 (1947) Development of S-99 using different engine and propeller

*Avia 14 (1950) Czech version of Russian Ilyushin Il-14, two-piston-engine airliner

Private Automobiles

In 1956, Avia made prototypes of a small automobile. It had a single centrally-placed front seat and steering column, two rear seats, a sliding cabin for access, and a rear-mounted 2-cylinder 350cc Jawa motorcycle engine. The layout was shared with the Moravan car, which was built at Otrokovice.

Trucks

Avia truck production started in 1946. The company produced the Škoda 706R line, and from the 1960s, the highly successful Praga V3S (produced until 1988) and S5T. In 1967 the company signed an important license agreement with Renault, which resulted in the production of the French Saviem 'A' models. The company produced as many as 17,000 trucks per year.

In 1995 Daewoo Motors with Steyr purchased a majority stake of the company. This resulted in the company being known as 'Daewoo Avia' and a significant investment in development of both product and facilities was undertaken.

In 2005 the company was acquired by the financial company Odien Capital Partners, then in 2006 sold to Indian truck manufacturer Ashok Leyland and began using the Avia brand again (and new logo).

As a truck maker, Czech Avia should not be confused with the Spanish Avia.

External links

* [http://www.avia-trucks.com/ Avia Trucks official website]
* [http://www.avia.cz/ Avia Trucks official website Czech version]
* [http://www.aviapropeller.com/ Avia Propeller official website]