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Letov S-20
The Letov Š-20 was a fighter aircraft produced in Czechoslovakia during the 1920s. It was a conventional, single-bay biplane with unstaggered wings braced by N-struts. In overall appearance, it greatly resembled contemporary SPAD fighters. The fuselage and empennage were of welded steel tube construction and covered in fabric. The wings had a tubular metal spar but were otherwise wooden, and also fabric-skinned.
The Czechoslovakian Air Force bought 105 machines, and 10 examples were produced for Lithuania under the designation Š-20L. These remained in service until 1936 and 1935 respectively.
An Š-20 placed second in the single-engine category of the national President of the Republic air race in 1925, but fared better the following year. In the 1926 race, an Š-20 not only won this category but also set a new national airspeed record of 234 km/h (146 mph). This record was short-lived, however, since the prize for the fastest circuit was also won in an Š-20, and this raised the record to 245 km/h (153 mph).
A single prototype of an unarmed advanced trainer version was built as the Š-21, but this did not sell.
Variants
- Š-20 - initial production version
- Š-20M - revised version with slimmed down rear fuselage (main production version for Czechoslovakia)
- Š-20L - export version for Lithuania (10 built)
- Š-20R - version with further revisions to fuselage (1 built)
- Š-20J - version with Walter-built Bristol Jupiter engine
- Š-21 - trainer version with Hispano-Suiza 8Aa engine (1 built)
Specifications (Š-20)
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References
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 573.
- Němeček, Václav (1968). Československá letadla. Prague: Naše Vojsko.
Lists relating to aviation | |
---|---|
General | Timeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines |
Military | Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft |
Notable incidents and accidents | Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths |
Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Letov S-20". |