Avia BH-8

BH-8

Manufacturer: Avia
Designed by: Pavel Beneš and Miroslav Hajn
First flight: 1923
Number built: 1

The Avia BH-8 was a prototype fighter aircraft built in Czechoslovakia in 1923. It was an unequal-span biplane developed on the basis of the ill-fated BH-6 design, in an attempt to address that type's problems. It shared the BH-6's unusual wing cellule design.

When test-flown in late 1923, it did indeed display better flying characteristics than its predecessor, but was overtaken in development by another variation on the same design, the BH-17.

Specifications

General characteristics

Crew: one pilot
Length: 6.49 m (21 ft 3 in)
Wingspan: 9.48 m (31 ft 1 in)
Height: 2.77 m (9 ft 1 in)
Wing area: 22.1 m˛ (238 ft˛)
Empty weight: 843 kg (1,858 lb)
Gross weight: 1,143 kg (2,520 lb)
Powerplant: 1 x— Skoda licence-built Hispano-Suiza 8Fb Vee-8, 310 kW (231 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 222 km/h (138 mph)
Range: 450 km (280 miles)
Service ceiling: 8,000 m (26,200 ft)
Rate of climb: 5.7 m/s (1,115 ft/min)

Armament

2 x— fixed, forward-firing .303 Vickers machine guns

Related development BH-6 - BH-17

Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. pp.86.
World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp.File 889 Sheet 86.
NÄ›meÄŤek, V. (1968). ÄŚeskoslovenskxˇ letadla. Praha: Naše Vojsko.
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Source: WikiPedia