Aero A.200

Aero A.200

Manufacturer: Aero Vodochody
First flight: 1934
Primary user: Czechoslovakia
Produced: 1934
Number built: 2

The Aero A.200 was a sportsplane of Czechoslovakia, designed and built specifically to compete in Challenge 1934, the European touring plane championships. It was a four-seater low-wing monoplane.

Operational service

Flown in competition by Jan Ambrož, the A.200 took fourth place, beaten by the RWD-9 (that took both first and second places for Poland) and the Fieseler Fi 97 (from Germany). The other A.200, flown by Vojtěch Žaček, took the 14th place for 34 competitors. They carried registrations OK-AMA and OK-AMB.

In a technical evaluation, A.200s scored the 4th result from among aircraft types taking part in the Challenge. They had the best short take-off capabilities in the contest - A.200s needed 74.5-77.6 m to take off and fly over 8-m high gate, although they needed some 118 m to land from above the gate.

Description

Mixed construction low-wing monoplane, braced with wire. Fuselage of a steel frame, covered with wood and canvas, elliptical in cross-section. Rectangular wings of wooden construction, canvas covered, fitted with all-span slats and with flaps. Wings were folding rearwards. Cab had two seats side by side in front, with twin controls, and two seats in the rear, under a common multi-part canopy. Fixed landing gear with a rear skid. Radial engine in fuselage nose, with NACA cowling. Two-blade propeller.

Specifications (A.200)

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Capacity: 3 passengers (incl. 2nd pilot)
Length: 7.80 m (25 ft 7 in)
Wingspan: 11.10 m (36 ft 5 in)
Height: 2.55 m (8 ft 4⅜ in)
Wing area: 16.6 m� (178 ft�)
Empty weight: 560 kg (1,200 lb)
Loaded weight: 950 kg (2,090 lb)
Useful load: 390 kg (860 lb)
Powerplant: 1x� Walter Bora aircooled 9-cylinder radial engine, 161.7 kW (220 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 255 km/h (138 knots, 159 mph)
Cruise speed: 220 km/h
Stall speed: 55 km/h (30 knots, 34 mph)
Range: 800 km (432 nm, 500 mi)
Service ceiling: 6,300 m (21,000 ft)
Rate of climb: m/s (ft/min)
Wing loading: 57.2 kg/m� (11.7 lb/ft�)
Power/mass: 0.17 kW/kg (0.11 hp/lb)

Comparable aircraft

Fieseler Fi 97 - Breda Ba-42

Marian Krzyżan: "Międzynarodowe turnieje lotnicze 1929-1934", Warsaw 1988, ISBN 83-206-0637-3 (Polish language)

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Source: WikiPedia