Letov Š-10
{{Short description|Czechoslovak biplane trainer}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox aircraft
| name = Letov Š-10
| image = Letov S-10.png
| image_caption = A Letov Š-10 in an open field
| aircraft_role = Trainer aircraft
| national_origin = Czechoslovakia
| manufacturers = Letov Kbely
| service = Czechoslovak Air Force
Masaryk Aviation League
| number_built = 51
| concluded = November 1936
| developed_from = Hansa-Brandenburg B.I
| developed_into = Letov Š-18
| successors = Praga E-39
}}The Letov Š-10 was a biplane trainer aircraft produced in the 1920s by the Czechoslovak company Letov Kbely. It was a licensed copy of the German design Hansa-Brandenburg B.I and could hold 2 people. The Š-10 served in the Czechoslovak Air Force and later were acquired by aeroclubs and organizations of the Masaryk Aviation League (MLL).
Origin and development
The Letov Š-10 was a licensed copy of the Hansa-Brandenburg B.I series 76, which was widely used by the Austro-Hungarian Aviation Troops. This type of plane was among the most numerous aircraft found in Czechoslovakia after or shortly after independence, and later it was decided to further increase the number of aircraft produced via domestic production. Aero Vodochody created the Aero Ae-10, and in 1922 the production of 51 Š-10s was started at the Letov factory.{{Sfn|Němeček|1983|p=35}}{{Sfn|Rajlich|Sehnal|1993|p=24}}{{Ref Jane's|Letov S-10|3=1993|573}} The Š-10s were equipped with a six-cylinder in-line Mercedes D.I engine, the pistons of whose rear cylinders were excessively flooded with oil when stationary on the ground, which earned the aircraft the nickname "anchovy" or "sardine".{{Sfn|Rajlich|Sehnal|1993|p=24}}{{Sfn|Němeček|1983|p=36}} Another unofficial nickname for the Ae-10 and Š-10 types was "little firecracker",{{Sfn|Němeček|1983|p=36}} which they shared with the original Brandenburg B.I.{{Sfn|Rajlich|Sehnal|1993|p=24}}
Operational history
The Š-10 served the Czechoslovak Air Force, along with its related Aero Ae-10 aircraft, as a basic pilot training aircraft. Even though it was soon supplemented by the more modern Š-18, it was not completely replaced in military service until the introduction of the Praga E-39 aircraft in the early 1930s. The Š-10 was characterized by considerable stability, flight safety and overall ease of piloting,{{Sfn|Rajlich|Sehnal|1993|p=24}} which led to its popularity among pilots, but was soon felt to be a certain deficiency, as these features failed to adequately prepare students for piloting more demanding combat aircraft.{{Sfn|Němeček|1983|p=35}}{{Sfn|Rajlich|Sehnal|1993|p=24}} After being withdrawn from military service in the early 1930s, some of the Š-10s were acquired by aeroclubs and organizations of the Masaryk Aviation League (MLL). The Š-10.1 aircraft, named "Zdena", served at the MLL branch in Nymburk until November 1936.{{Sfn|Rajlich|Sehnal|1993|p=41}}
Operators
- {{Flag country|Czechoslovakia}}
- Czechoslovak Air Force
- Masaryk Aviation League
Specifications
Source:{{Sfn|Němeček|1983|pp=244-245}}
= Technical data =
- Crew: 2 (instructor and student)
- Span: {{Convert|12.30|m|abbr=on}}
- Length: {{Convert|8.40|m|abbr=on}}
- Bearing area: {{Convert|36.52|m2|abbr=on}}
- Empty weight: {{Convert|668|kg|abbr=on}}
- Takeoff weight: {{Convert|966|kg|abbr=on}}
- Powerplant: 1 × liquid-cooled six-cylinder in-line Mercedes D.I engine
- Power of the drive unit: 74 kW (100 hp)
= Performance =
- Maximum speed: {{Convert|130|km/h|abbr=on}}
- Cruising speed: {{Convert|90|km/h|abbr=on}}
- Climb capacity: can climb to 1,000 m elevation in 9 minutes and 30 seconds
- Range: {{Convert|400|km|abbr=on}}
References
= Sources =
- {{Cite book |last=Němeček |first=Václav |title=Československá letadla (1918-1945) |publisher=Naše vojsko |year=1983 |edition=3rd |language=cs |trans-title=Czechoslovak aircraft (1918-1945)}}
- {{Cite book |last=Rajlich |first=Jiří |title=Vzduch je naše moře: Československé letectví 1918-1939 |last2=Sehnal |first2=Jiří |publisher=Naše vojsko |year=1993 |isbn=80-206-0221-6 |edition=1 |language=cs |trans-title=The Air is Our Sea: Czechoslovak Aviation 1918-1939}}
{{Letov aircraft}}