Aero A.14

Aero A.14

Role: Reconnaissance aircraft Airliner/mail plane
Manufacturer: Aero Vodochody
Status: Retired
Primary users: Czech Air Force Czech Airlines
Produced: 1920s

The Aero A.14 was a Czechoslovakian biplane military reconnaissance aircraft built in the 1920s. It was essentially a slightly modified version of the Hansa-Brandenburg B.I aircraft that Aero had been built during World War I as the Ae.10, and for this reason, the aircraft is sometimes referred to as the A.14 Brandenburg. When equipped with a slightly different engine (the Hiero L in place of the standard Hiero N), the aircraft was designated A.15 instead. The two versions were otherwise almost identical.

Even though it was obsolete by the time it entered production in 1922, the A.14 is nevertheless noteworthy for its role in the establishment of Czech airline CSA. A.14s provided by the Czech Air Force served to survey routes that CSA airliners would soon fly, and at least 17 were put into service as mail planes between Prague and Bratislava. They could also carry a single passenger when required.

Specifications (A.14)

General characteristics

Crew: 2
Length: 8.40 m (27 ft 7 in)
Wingspan: 12.30 m (40 ft 4 in)
Height: m (ft in)
Wing area: 37.5 m² (403 ft²)
Empty weight: 933 kg (2,050 lb)
Loaded weight: 1,275 kg (2,805 lb)
Powerplant: 1x— Hiero N, 170 kW (230 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 179 km/h (97 knots, 112 mph)
Range: km (nm, mi)
Service ceiling: m (ft)
Rate of climb: 1.85 m/s (364 ft/min)
Wing loading: 34 kg/m² (7.0 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 130 W/kg (0.08 hp/lb)

Operators

Czechoslovakia
CSA

Related development

Aero A.26
Hansa-Brandenburg B.I

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Source: WikiPedia