75 years ago, Aero began serial production of the Ae-45
Vodochody, August 10, 2023 – The famous Czechoslovak Ae-45 aircraft was produced at Aero from 1948 to 1951. It was a great success on the Czech and foreign markets. Customers from Europe to Africa to Australia praised its air services. The legendary aerotaxi won a prestigious English race, flew across the Atlantic and the Sahara.
The four-seat all-metal twin-engine Aero Ae-45 biplane was given the type designation after the year in which its development began at the then Aero production plant in Vysočany, Prague. A group of experienced designers (Miroslav Baitler, Jiří Bouzka, Ondřej Němec, František Vlk) wanted to continue the pre-war tradition of the company and produce an aircraft for individual air transport, business and service travel.
The first prototype flew on 21 July 1947 and in September 1947 it was presented at the International Aviation Day in Ruzyně. In March 1948, the second prototype took to the air and by the end of 1948, the factory pilots had flown over 28,000 km on international flights. Both prototypes made a total of 735 flights and spent 366 hours in the air by March 1949. In total, Aero produced 200 of this legendary machine from 1948 to 1951. After that, production was transferred to Let Kunovice, where modernized versions were produced, designated Ae-45 S and Ae-145.
The Ae-45 / Ae-45 S has achieved countless foreign successes and records. In August 1949 Jan Anderle won the famous “Norton Griffith Challenge Trophy” in Birmingham, England. The Aero chief pilot also made a non-stop crossing of the Sahara on a twin-engine machine. It was the first Czechoslovak aircraft (Ae-45 S) to fly across the Atlantic Ocean from Buenos Aires to Milan with a stopover on the island of Fernando de Norronha.
In the 1950s, dozens of machines served as aerotaxis for companies and individuals with Czechoslovak Airlines. The Czechoslovak Army also used them as courier machines. Some were even modified as ambulance aircraft. They achieved great international success in thirty foreign markets on six continents, from Poland and Romania to South Africa, India, Indonesia, Mongolia and Australia.
The four-seat Aero A-45 was 7.51 metres long and had a wingspan of 12.25 metres. It had a maximum speed of 280 km/h, a range of 4,700 metres and a maximum range of 1,000 kilometres. The two Walter Minor 4-III engines had an output of 105 horsepower.
AERO Vodochody AEROSPACE a.s. focuses on the development, production, maintenance and improvement of civil and military aircraft and is the largest aircraft manufacturer in the Czech Republic and one of the oldest aircraft manufacturers in the world. In the field of own aircraft, AERO is a permanent partner of a number of military air forces and has a strong position in the market for military trainer and light combat aircraft. With 11,000 aircraft produced in its 100 years of existence, hundreds of L-39 Albatros aircraft still in service with dozens of military operators and a number of demo teams, and especially with its new L-39NG aircraft, AERO has established itself as a leader in the global jet trainer market. In the civil aviation sector, AERO works with major aircraft manufacturers on a wide range of projects and is a partner in several risk-sharing programs, where it is responsible not only for the manufacture and assembly of aircraft assemblies, but also for their development.
Contact:
Radka Černá, PR & Communications Manager
e-mail: radka.cerna@aero
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