Avia BH-25

BH-25
Role	Airliner
Manufacturer	Avia
Designer	Pavel Beneš and Miroslav Hajn
First flight	1926
Retired	1936
Primary users	Czechoslovakian Airlines SNNA
Number built	12

The Avia BH-25 was a biplane airliner built in Czechoslovakia in 1926. Typical of airliners of its time, it seated five passengers within its fuselage, while the pilots sat in an open cockpit above. Of conventional configuration, it was a single-bay biplane of equal span and unstaggered wings, with fixed tailskid landing gear. Originally designed for a Lorraine-Dietrich engine, this was changed to a Bristol Jupiter in service. After their withdrawal from airline use in 1936, some were used by the military for a while before finally becoming training targets.

Variants

• BH-25L – with Lorraine Dietrich engine
• BH-25J – with Bristol Jupiter engine

Operators

 Czechoslovakia

• Czechoslovakian Airlines – eight aircraft

 Romania

• Royal Romanian Air Force
• SNNA – four aircraft

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: two pilots
• Capacity: five passengers, plus 100 kg (220 lb) of luggage
• Length: 12.82 m (42 ft 1 in)
• Wingspan: 15.3 m (50 ft 2 in)
• Wing area: 62.5 m² (672 ft²)
• Empty weight: 1,800 kg (3,968 lb)
• Gross weight: 2,900 kg (6,393 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Walter-built Bristol Jupiter radial, 336 kW (450 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 180 km/h (112 mph)
• Range: 600 km (373 miles)
• Service ceiling: 4,000 m (13,123 ft)
• Rate of climb: 1.7 m/s (330 ft/min)

References

• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 86.
• Němeček, V. (1968). Československá letadla. Praha: Naše Vojsko.
• airwar.ru