Avia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
-
For other uses, see Avia (disambiguation).
Avia was a Czech aircraft and automotive company notable for producing biplane fighters, especially the B-534. The company was founded in 1919 and manufactured aircraft up to 1960. They continued to make aircraft engines and eventually went on to only producing props in 1988.
Avia had started building Messerschmitt Me 109Gs straight after the war as the Avia S-99, but soon ran out of the 109's Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine. The Avia S-199 was a fighter aircraft built in Czechoslovakia after World War II using parts and plans left over from Luftwaffe aircraft production that had taken place in the country during the war. While a very problematic aircraft, unpopular with its pilots, it achieved fame as the first fighter obtained by the Israeli Air Force for use during the War of Independence. Czechoslovakian pilots nicknamed it Mezek ("Mule"), whilst in Israel it was known as the Sakeen ("knife").
The S-199 continued to use the Me 109G airframe but with none of the original engines available, the engine (Junkers Jumo 211) and propeller from the Heinkel He 111 bomber were used instead. The result of this compromise was an aircraft with extremely poor handling qualities. The substitute engine lacked the responsiveness of the Daimler-Benz unit, was heavier, and the torque created by the massive paddle-bladed propeller made control very difficult. This latter flaw, combined with the 109's narrow-track undercarriage also made landings and take-offs extremely hazardous. A final hidden danger lay in the synchronization gear which did not seem to work properly, leading a few Israeli aircraft to shoot off their own propellers.
Avia truck production started in 1946. This was followed by an important license agreement with Renault in 1967, which resulted in the production of the French Saviem 'A' models. In 1995 Daewoo Motors purchased a majority stake of the company. This resulted in the compnay being known as 'Daewoo Avia' and a significant investment in both product development and facilities was undertaken. As a truck maker, Czech Avia should not be confused with the Spanish Avia
The aircraft brand and production facilities now belong to Avia Propeller company [1].
