Praga BH-44
| Praga BH-44 | |
|---|---|
 BH-44 (1934) |
|
| Type: | Fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
July 19, 1932 |
| Commissioning: |
- |
| Number of pieces: |
2 |
The Praga BH-44 was a Czechoslovak fighter aircraft of the 1930s.
development
At the suggestion of the Ministry of National Defense (Ministerstvo národní obrany, MNO), some Czechoslovak aircraft manufacturers began developing a fighter aircraft for the country's air force in 1931/1932. In addition to Avia with the B-34 and Letov with the Š-231 , the aircraft construction division of the mechanical engineering manufacturer Praga , which was newly founded in 1931, took part in the development with the two designers Pavel Beneš and Miroslav Hajn who had changed from Avia. They designed a classic biplane that was to be armed with two synchronized machine guns. The prototype took off on its maiden flight on July 19, 1932 and was tested with disappointing results. Although the aircraft had good flight characteristics and excellent maneuverability, the speed left a lot to be desired due to the weak drive. A second prototype therefore received a more powerful ESV engine with 650 hp from our own production, which had a rubber-mounted heat exchanger as a special feature . The aircraft was tested in 1934, but by that time it was already becoming apparent that the design was no longer up to date. The new standard fighter of the Air Force was the Avia B-534 , which was derived from the B-34 . Beneš and Hajn left ČKD-Praga in 1934 and were replaced by Jaroslav Šlechta. As a successor he developed the E-45 with a Kestrel VI engine, which appeared towards the end of the year.
construction
The BH-44 was a braced biplane with a staggered supporting structure and designed in mixed construction. The fuselage with an oval cross-section in the front area and angular in the rear was formed by a framework made of welded steel tubes , the bow section of which was clad with sheet metal up to the pilot's cabin and covered with fabric behind it. The wings of the same span had spars and ribs made of wood and were with plywood planked and fabric or covered. They were connected to each other as well as to the trunk by N-posts. There were ailerons only in the upper, continuous wing . The tail unit was of normal construction, with the horizontal stabilizer being supported towards the fuselage. The BH-44 was equipped with an axleless and non-retractable landing gear, the main wheels of which were provided with aerodynamic panels and crossed tension wires to the fuselage and the trailing edge of the lower wings. There was a grinding spur at the stern.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 2 |
| span | 9.25 m |
| length | 7.62 m |
| Wing area | 23.14 m² |
| Wing loading | 79.9 kg / m² |
| Empty mass | 1462 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 1837 kg |
| drive | a liquid-cooled twelve-cylinder - V-engine |
| Type | Praga ESV |
| rated capacity | 650 hp (478 kW) at 2000 rpm |
| Top speed | 330 km / h |
| Marching speed | 290 km / h |
| Rise time | 5.10 min at 3000 m altitude 10 min at 5000 m altitude |
| Service ceiling | 7500 m |
| Flight duration | 1.8 h |
| Armament | two 7.92 mm MG M30 six 10 kg bombs |
literature
- Václav Němeček: Československá letadla. Naše Vojsko, Prague 1968, p. 119 (Czech).
Web links
- Praga BH-44. Retrieved September 19, 2020 (Russian).
Individual evidence
- ^ Hans Joachim Mau: Czechoslovak aircraft. Transpress, Berlin 1987, ISBN 3-344-00121-3 , p. 162
- ↑ Němeček, p. 292/293