The Aero A.26, an aircraft manufactured by Aero Vodochody in the 1920s, served as a military reconnaissance biplane for Czechoslovakia.
This particular design marked Aero’s final venture derived from the Hansa-Brandenburg B.I aircraft, which the company had previously produced under licence during World War I as the Ae.10.
Taking to the skies for the first time in 1923, the Aero A.26 underwent production of a limited quantities.
Subsequently, these aircraft found utility within the realm of Czechoslovak civilian aviation.
Specifications
Crew
2
Length
8.3 m (27 ft 3 in)
Wingspan
12.3 m (40 ft 4 in)
Wing area
38.5 m2 (414 sq ft)
Empty weight
882 kg (1,944 lb)
Gross weight
1,196 kg (2,637 lb)
Powerplant
1 × BMW IIIa, 6 cylinder water cooled inline piston engine,
138 kW (185 hp)
Performance
Maximum speed
158 km/h (98 mph, 85 kn)
Cruise speed
120 km/h (75 mph, 65 kn)
Service ceiling
6,000 m (20,000 ft)
Rate of climb
2.25 m/s (443 ft/min)
Wing loading
31 kg/m2 (6.3 lb/sq ft)
Power/mass
0.120 kW/kg (0.073 hp/lb)
Armament
1 × Machine-gun
&
Light bombs.
Sources
Czechoslovakian Air Force, 1918-1970, Aircam Aviation Special 05-Richard Ward, Zdenek Titz & Gordon C. Davies.
Ceskoslovenské Letectvo, 1918-1924-Jiří Rajlich & Jiří Sehnal.