Avia BH-5

BH-5
Role	Sportsplane
National origin	Czechoslovakia
Manufacturer	Avia
Designer	Pavel Beneš and Miroslav Hajn
First flight	1923
Number built	1

The Avia BH-5 was a two-seat sport aircraft built in Czechoslovakia in 1923. It was based on the firm's experience with the BH-1 and shared that aircraft's basic design: a low-wing, braced monoplane. It received the nickname "Boska" due to its registration, L-BOSA, an appellation that was later transferred to the various Avia aircraft derived from this design. The BH-5 was flown competitively by Zdeněk Lhota at the Belgian Touring Aircraft Contest in Brussels in 1923 and won both the overall prize for the event and the King of Belgium Prize. The same year, it won the first prize in its class in the Czechoslovak President of the Republic Competition.

On 1 June 2007, a replica (OK-BOS) built by Marcel Sezemský and members of Historická letka Republiky československé completed its first flight from Mladá Boleslav in the Czech Republic. The engine used is an original 1923 Walter NZ 60 five cylinder unit.^[1]

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: one pilot
• Capacity: 1 passenger
• Length: 6.56 m (21 ft 6 in)
• Wingspan: 9.70 m (31 ft 10 in)
• Wing area: 13.5 m² (145 ft²)
• Empty weight: 337 kg (743 lb)
• Gross weight: 575 kg (1,268 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Anzani radial, 52 kW (70 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 150 km/h (94 mph)
• Range: 480 km (300 miles)
• Rate of climb: 2.5 m/s (550 ft/min)

References

Notes

1. Flypast Magazine, August 2007, Key Publishing Ltd

Bibliography

• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 86.
• Němeček, V. (1968). Československá letadla. Praha: Naše Vojsko.
• Historická Letka Republiky Československé website (pdf document)
• The 2007 test flight reportage (in Czech)