POSTER 2015, PRAGUE MAY 14 1
Establishment and development of airplanes production in Czechoslovakia
Tomas Havel
Dept. of Management, Masaryk Institute of Advance Studies of Czech Technical University in Prague, Kolejni 2637/2a, 160 00 Prague 6, Czech Republic
Abstract. This article briefly introduces a reader to an region with the exception of plane engine manufacturing origin and development of airplane manufacturing in which was scattered at several factories during the First Czechoslovakia. World War and a small German-owned repair shop for military planes, Al-Ma in Prague. Austro-Hungarian army In October of 1918, an independent Czechoslovakia was owned a reserve airport in Cheb and warehouse for established, and supported by president, T. G. Masaryk an discarded airplanes nearby. aircraft industry originated, which had previously been purposely located away from the Bohemian region by the After the independent state had been founded this aviation Austro Hungarian government, which had confiscated machinery was commissioned shortly by Letecky sbor entire aircraft of our pioneers of aeronautics after the (Aviation Corps) led by Jindrich Kostrba. The first pieces outbreak of the First World War. At the same time, the of the commissioned airplanes were repaired at the Al-Ma world superpowers were mass manufacturing hundreds of shops and our military airforce was soon expanded by aircraft. pilots from our foreign army who had been piloting Austrian planes. Due to government support, advanced mechanical industry, as well as sustained work of many professionals, famous France provided the Republic of Czechoslovakia with 115 aircraft manufacturing companies AERO, AVIA, LETOV, aviation aircrafts and several planes flew from Germany as PRAGA had been established, and produced military, a means of war reparations. The military airforce had training, as well as transportation aircraft. Less known expanded unbelievably and during mobilization prior to manufacturers with lesser serial production included World War II it had 1 514 planes and six aviation LETADLA TATRA, ZLINSKA LETADLA, Chocen’s regiments. [1] BENES-MRAZ factory, and LETADLA PRIKRYL- The majority of military aircraft was produced BLECHA. Aviation industry cooperated with other domestically. It was the army that was mostly responsible manufacturers of engines, propellers, aviation instruments, for the expansion of aviation manufacturing and was the tires, etc. major customer, further requests for domestic airplanes Because of rapid development of aviation and transition came from Masarykova letecka liga (Masaryk’s Aviation from wooden to fully metallic constructions, new League) MLL, aviation clubs and developing airlines. requirements were made for materials and specialized Newly established airlines providing domestic air workers. For that reason Military Aviation Study Institute transportation included first Prague’s aviation company (Vojensky letecky ustav studijni) was founded and new FALCO, first Czech aviation company IKARUS and later study areas specializing in aviation were established at established large airlines: French airline CIDNA, technical high schools and colleges. Ceskoslovenske statni aerolinie (Czechoslovak state airlines) CSA, and Ceskoslovenska letecka spolecnost (Czechoslovak aviation company) provided international air transportation. [3] Key words Aviation development, aviation manufacturing, aviation manufacturers, machine industry, military 2. Establishment and development aviation, civilian aviation. of aviation manufacturing The desire of the Czechoslovak government to have 1. Development of aviation its own aviation industry and to become independent from foreign aviation manufacturing was a good choice as it was Until the foundation of independent shortly found that the domestic manufacturers reached Czechoslovakia there was no aviation manufacturing in its comparable quality. LETOV, founded in 1918 by a defense 2 TOMAS HAVEL, SAMPLE PAPER FOR POSTER 2015 CONFERENCE ministry, became the oldest aircraft manufacturer followed machines from France as a way of repayment, or to start a by companies with private capital AERO and AVIA, serial domestic production of military airplanes in Letov. founded in 1919 and the same year the PRIKRYL- The decision was made to initiate a domestic aviation BLECHA company was established. In 1930 the aviation industry. Under the leadership of the head designer Alois manufacturing began at CKD-PRAGA followed in 1933 by Smolik the first mass-produced all-wooden reconessaince LETADLA ZLIN company origination and a year later the and bombardment biplane Sm-1 was created. Its quality production began in LETADLA TATRA. The youngest persuaded MNO to order 50 planes in 1920. This order company became BENES-MRAZ in 1935. brought Letov both a prospect of further development, as well as concern, as they had no experience with serial Aviation manufacturers cooperated throughout the machine production of this magnitude. [1] The planes were gradually industry. The propeller manufacturing was almost developing from wooden to metal covered by cloth and exquisitely ensured by Letov company. Aircraft engines ultimately full metal. Due to an unusual talent of Alois were supplied by companies Praga, Walter, Laurin a Smolik the company developed 36 prototypes of military Klement, Skoda, Avia, Tatra Koprivnice, Zlinska letecka and civilian aircraft, with 18 of them serially manufactured a.s., ORION-Vilem Michl, JAWA, JPK-20-Josef Pejsek until the Nazi occupation. and ZOD-Ceskoslovenska zbrojovka in Brno. [1] Foundation of Vojensky letecky ustav studijni (VLUS) (Military Aviation Study Institute) in 1922 became an 2.2 AERO important event in a development of aviation AERO Company was officially manufacturing. An aerodynamic tunnel was built in VLUS founded by JUDr. Vladimir Kabes in in 1928 where a broad spectrum of entire airplanes testing Prague – Bubenec on January 10th, 1919. Despite initial took place. Based on expanding aviation manufacturing the difficulties, his investment later turned out to be very companies started to need qualified workplace base. CVUT advantageous as AERO rapidly expanded, and in between in Prague organized a postgraduate course in aviation from the world wars became a respected domestic aviation 1929. Later Vysoka skola technicka (Polytechnic company, both in the number of employees and the number University) in Brno started aviation specialization. of produced airplanes. The factory, besides its own Polytechnic high-schools did not stay behind with aviation production, also focused on the manufacturing of licensed [3] education either. products. They were the first licensed manufacturers of the Letov S-10, as Letov had not had enough capacity to satisfy demand. The next licensed production was that of 2.1 LETOV French full metal bombarder MB 200 and British transporter De Havilland DH-50. This manufacturing had brought in enough capital, and based on airplane Hansa- Brandenburg B-1 AERO began producing type A-1. These commissions enabled the company to initiate its own financially demanding development of prototypes. The AERO factory holds several primacies in the history of Czechoslovak aviation. They were the first to develop a fighter jet, a large transportation aircraft, hydroplane, and the first to begin twin-engine aircraft production. From its establishment until 1938 Aero produced 31 types of military and civilian airplanes. [1] During an economic downturn, the factory did not have work for all its employees and between 1929-1951 expanded to Temporary place Letov in Prague-Kbely quantitatively almost equal automobile production. State-owned company LETOV was founded by Ministry of National Defense (MNO) in Prague’s part of Holesovice in the former aircraft repair shop Al-Ma in 1918. The space was not sufficient for the production capacity and the company later moved to Kbely. Setnik Adamec (setnik was a rank of today’s captain) was a commander of the company. The employees first consisted of the old monarchy’s air force members and other soldiers New building AERO´s factory in Prague-Vysocany in 1924 who returned home from First World War. The company at its origin was accumulating and repairing military airplanes with the goal of ensuring a material base for the MNO. 2.3 AVIA Thanks to the previously mentioned generous gift of 115 airplanes from France’s war oversupplies, the new political Engineer Pavel Benes with Vaclav representation faced a difficult decision to either order new Maly launched AVIA on June 19th, 1919. Later engineer Miroslav Hajn and J. F. Koch became POSTER 2015, PRAGUE MAY 14 3 partners of the company as well. The company began ARDEA repair shop site which caught fire, and the airplane working within sugar refinery in Praha –Vysocany as an burned along with all the other planes awaiting repairs. The aircraft repair and manufacturing shop. In the beginning partners were financially damaged but did not give up. they provided carpentry work and made propellers. They Until 1934, when the company came to an end, they aimed to produce an aircraft of their own progressive produced seven prototypes. The testing flights of all the design, which they managed a year later. The all-wood prototypes never succeeded due to some technical motor-powered airplane BH-Exp took off and immediately difficulty or, in worse cases, due to plane crashes. [3] stirred an interest of professionals as well as amateurs. It was designed as a first single-winged monoplane with a thick wing profile. 2.5 CKD-PRAGA In March of 1930 in the PRAGA factory in Prague-Karlin, a department for development and manufacturing of aircraft was founded within the industrial concern of Ceskomoravska Kolben-Danek (CKD). Until then PRAGA had concentrated only on automobile production. Engineers Benes and Hajn became chief designers, and with them other designers, foremen, and workers came from AVIA. PRAGA was in a difficult Fuselage BH-Exp and his weight position due to strong competition. Because of restrictions Due to its flight characteristics the professional from MNO, which preferred the state owned LETOV with public understood that it brought a true breakthrough at the orders, PRAGA focused on production of smaller civilian [1] area of airplane construction and in 1923 MNO ordered 10 and training airplanes. In the beginning of the thirties, planes with the type designation BH-3. [4] During the same PRAGA did not have much work commissioned, and in year the AVIA factory was sold to the Bondy brothers, who 1932 engineer Hajn left for Letov. Three years later sold it to SKODA Concern in 1926. This step proved engineer Benes started another company. There work was useful for the factory as SKODA invested large capital into taken over by engineer Slechta who came to PRAGA from AVIA, and built new manufacturing space in Prague- LETOV. Paradoxically, during the second half of the Letnany in 1929. The design department of Benes and thirties when society became afraid of the expanding Nazi Hajn was expanded by engineer Novotny, engineer Dr. Germany, the army previously without much interest in the Nebesar, and engineer Adar. Due to its strong development PRAGA planes, started to use mainly the type E-39 for base, AVIA received substantial financial rewards from its military pilot training in aviation clubs. The aviation licensing rights sold to foreign manufacturers. Both chief company CKD-Praga from its foundation until 1938 [4] designers and former company founders, engineers Benes manufactured serially 5 types of planes. and Hajn left the company after disputes with colleagues for CKD-PRAGA. Same as the competing aircraft 2.6 ZLIN AIRPLANES factories, in 1925 AVIA also began license manufacturing, which was strongly supported by a status of SKODA Concern and its foreign contacts. From its foundation until 1938, AVIA factory mass produced 46 types of military and civilian aircrafts of its own licensed design. [1]
2.4 PRIKRYL-BLECHA AIRPLANES
In the same year as AERO and AVIA, the PRIKRYL- BLECHA Company was founded in Prague-Vinohrady. Both partners were interested in serial production of Racing and courier Zlín Z-XIII aircrafts but unfortunately neither made it to a serial manufacturing. Theirs was rather a small shop in a Zlinska letecka spolecnost (Zlin Aviation Company) basement of an apartment house. Both partners were huge was founded in Otrokovice in 1933 with local BATA aviation enthusiasts and in the beginning were repairing Company holding the majority of shares. Despite damaged airplanes. They were doing well and started an unsupportive attitudes of the government officials who did airplane repair company called ARDEA. They introduced not want to further expand the aviation industry because of their first prototype PB-1 at the 2nd International Aviation lack of employment in other local factories, the company Exhibition in Prague in 1921. It was a fully wooden launched from a local small shop repairing unpowered monoplane which had not launched from the ground yet. aircraft where enthusiasts from MLL met. [5] The factory The 1921 winter was extremely severe and despite first focused on serial production of unpowered aircrafts numerous attempts the plane never took off due to freezing and one year later J. A. Bata initiated serial production of temperatures. The prototype PB-1 was then stored at the powered aircraft. The most famous type became the Z-XII, 4 TOMAS HAVEL, SAMPLE PAPER FOR POSTER 2015 CONFERENCE and 201 planes were manufactured as well. The ownership type Be-60, which was ordered by MNO, and 19 planes of several foreign-manufactured airplanes by J. A. Bata were delivered to aviation clubs and MLL. During its short became very useful as designers learned new information existence until the occupation, the BENES-MRAZ from these machines. From its launch, Zlinska letecka Company serially produced 16 types of airplanes. [3] spolecnost, a.s. serially manufactured 9 types of training unpowered gliders and 7 types of training powered airplanes. [1] Bata’s dream was to achieve in airplane manufacturing the same success that he achieved in shoe production. However, this dream was soon thwarted by the Nazi occupation.
2.7 TATRA AIRPLANES The leadership of industrial concern Ringhoffer-Tatra decided to manufacture its Engineers first Czechoslovak airplanes from left: Alois Smolik, own airplanes in 1934. They had their own Miroslav Hajn, Antonin Husnik and Pavel Benes. underemployed workers as well as a sufficient materials base. The company had only repaired airplanes until an arrival of the chief designer engineer Acknowledgements Karel Tomas from Letov. Engineer Tomas quickly Research described in the paper was supervised by assembled a team of professionals who began aircraft PhDr. Nikolaj Savicky, Ph.D. Supervisor MUVS CTU in production. The leadership decided for licensed Prague and supported by the CTU Students Grant manufacturing of airplane Bucker Bu 131 Jungmann Competition under grant No. SGS15/123/OHK5/1T/32 specializing in aerobatics, and it was produced as TATRA 13-T 131 for the total of 35 planes. [3] The factory was also producing aircraft engines, and 3 airplane prototypes were developed, the most famous of which being the T-101, References which in a one-seater version reached a world record of [1] V. Nemecek: Ceskoslovenská letadla I, Praha 1983 7470 meters. Another world record was reached by a long- distance flight between Prague and Chartum in the total [2] V. Nemecek: Civilní letadla I, Praha 1983 length of 4340 kilometers. This hopeful aircraft [3] P. Kucera:Aero 1919-1999, Praha 1999 manufacturing came to the end by the Nazi occupation. [1] [4] J. Strejcek a kol.: Leta letaní, Praha 1979 [5] Z. Karnik: Ceske zeme v ere prvni republiky, dil prvni LIBRI 2001
About Author Author is external doctor student on Dept. of Sports Tatra T-201 Management of The Masaryk Institute of Advanced Studies of Czech Technical University in Prague. He had studied Entrepreneurship and Commercial Engineering in Industry on Dept. of Management of The Masaryk Institute 2.8 BENES-MRAZ of Advanced Studies of Czech Technical University in Prague. He specializes in civil aviation, management of In 1935 engineer Benes left airlines, aviation history and sport aviation. CKD-PRAGA with a goal of starting his own business. He succeeded, and contracted with engineer Mraz, who was producing refrigeration equipment out of Chocen. With great enthusiasm, the aircraft production company BENES- MRAZ was founded on April 1st, 1935. In humble conditions they set a goal to serially produce training and small civilian sport airplanes. The choice was right as they later found out. As the world economic crisis was ending, the sport of aviation was resurrecting itself and, because of the concerns about the Nazi Germany, MNO supported aviation training which produced future army pilots. Army pilots found the training on the small and nimble machines very helpful. The first serially manufactured airplane was