Aero A.14

The Aero A.14, a military reconnaissance aircraft, was manufactured in Czechoslovakia during the 1920s.

It was derived from the Hansa-Brandenburg C.I aircraft, which Aero had previously produced as the Ae.10 during World War I.

Due to this connection, the A.14 is occasionally known as the A.14 Brandenburg.

In the case of a minor engine variation, where the standard Hiero N was replaced with the Hiero L, the aircraft was designated as the A.15.

Apart from this difference, the two versions were nearly indistinguishable.

Despite being outdated when it went into production in 1922, the A.14 holds significance for its contribution to the formation of Czech airline CSA.

The Czech Air Force deployed A.14s to survey routes that CSA airliners would later operate, and around 17 of them were utilised as mail planes for the Prague to Bratislava route.

Additionally, these aircraft had the capability to accommodate a lone passenger if necessary.

Specifications

Crew

2
Length

8.4 m (27 ft 7 in)
Wingspan

12.3 m (40 ft 4 in)
Height

3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
Wing area

37.5 m2 (404 sq ft)
Empty weight

933 kg (2,057 lb)
Gross weight

1,275 kg (2,811 lb)
Fuel capacity

250 L (66 US gal; 55 imp gal) main tank plus 50 L (13 US gal; 11 imp gal) in a jettisonable tank
Powerplant

1 × Breitfeld & Daněk Hiero N 6-cyl water-cooled in-line piston engine,

170 kW (230 hp)
Propellers

2-bladed fixed pitch propeller
Performance

Maximum speed

179 km/h (111 mph, 97 kn)
Cruise speed

150 km/h (93 mph, 81 kn)
Range

450 km (280 mi, 240 nmi)
Service ceiling

4,900 m (16,100 ft)
Rate of climb

1.85 m/s (364 ft/min)
Time to altitude

36 minutes to 4,000 m (13,000 ft)
Wing loading

34 kg/m2 (7.0 lb/sq ft)
Power/mass

0.130 kW/kg (0.08 hp/lb)

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.