Praga E-51

This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in Czech. (October 2020) Click [show] for important translation instructions. View a machine-translated version of the Czech article. Machine translation like DeepL or Google Translate is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 981 articles in the main category, and specifying|topic= will aid in categorization. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Czech Wikipedia article at [[:cs:Praga E-51]]; see its history for attribution. You should also add the template {{Translated|cs|Praga E-51}} to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

Praga E-51
Role	reconnaissance and light bomber
National origin	Czecho-Slovakia
Manufacturer	Praga
Designer	Jaroslav Šlechta
First flight	26 May 1938
Number built	1 prototype

The Praga E-51 is a Czechoslovakian reconnaissance aircraft and light bomber built by Praga in the 1930s.^[1] Development was halted by the annexation of Czechoslovakia by Germany, after only one prototype had been built. The appearance of the construction is very reminiscent of the contemporary twin engined fighter, the Fokker G.I from Holland.

Design and development[]

The unconventional twin-boom airplane project under began in 1936 as a response to a specification which called for the design and construction of a new reconnaissance aircraft to operate over combat zones. The short-range reconnaissance three-seater was to be capable of monitoring activity behind enemy lines; the requirement highlighted the importance of good view from the cockpit as well as of placement of the on-board cameras, which were to be able to collect as many shots as possible at as wide an angle as possible in one flyover.^[2] The new aircraft was to replace the aging Letov Š-328 and . There were three entries to the tender: the Letov Š-50, the ČKD-Praga E-51 and the .^[3]

The E-51 was designed as a twin-boom twin-engine with a central nacelle housing the cockpit and armament; the booms were elongations of the engine nacelles and each carried a rudder, with the elevator placed between them. The E-51 was Šlechta's first design based on such a configuration. Because the reconnaissance airplane had to be able to escape enemy fighters, a high top speed was a number one priority, meaning a suitable engine had to be found. Šlechta considered three options: the inline with an output of 456 kW/355 hp, the inverted V-12 Walter Sagitta with an output of 367-412 kW/500-600 hp, and the radial 9-cylinder Avia Rk.17 at 261 kW/355 hp. As Praga's FR had not been finished yet and the Rk.17 was not powerful enough, Šlechta opted for the Sagitta. It was the first and only implementation of the Czechoslovak engine by Walter Aircraft Engines in a Czechoslovak airplane.^[4]

The aircraft was made using Czechoslovakia-supplied material and fitted with Czechoslovak (with a few exceptions) armaments. The simple wood and welded steel-tubes frame made both assembly and maintenance easy, and operation as well. The durability of the skin allowed for outdoor storage while on duty. The design is said to precede that of the Fokker G.I, a more well-known example of the same design configuration, as the latter has, unlike the E-51, actually entered service.^[5]

The E-51 was the last design by Praga before World War II began.^[6]

Gallery[]

Specifications (E-51)[]

Data from PRAGA E-51^[7]

General characteristics

• Crew: 3
• Length: 11.69 m (38 ft 4 in)
• Wingspan: 15.6 m (51 ft 2 in)
• Wing area: 35.44 m² (381.5 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 3,102 kg (6,839 lb)
• Powerplant: 2 × Walter Sagitta I-MR V-12 inverted air-cooled piston engines, 404 kW (542 hp) each
• Propellers: 3-bladed variable-pitch propellers

Performance

• Maximum speed: 380 km/h (240 mph, 210 kn)
• Range: 1,250 km (780 mi, 670 nmi) ~
• Service ceiling: 7,000 m (23,000 ft)
• Rate of climb: 6.6 m/s (1,300 ft/min)

Armament

• Guns:
  

• 1 × forward-firing 7.92 mm
• 1 × 7.92 mm vz.30 in a flexible holder

• Bombs: Up to 500 kg (1,102 lb) of bombs

References[]

Further reading[]

• KUČERA, Pavel (1982). "Praga E-51". Letectví a kosmonautika (in Czech). Prosinec. LVIII (25 & 26).
• ŠOREL, Václav; VELC, Jaroslav (1986). Letadla československých pilotů I (in Czech) (II. vyd. ed.). Praha: Albatros. p. 488.
• Fidler, Jiří (2006). Encyklopedie branné moci Republiky československé, 1920-1938 (in Czech). Praha: Libri. ISBN 80-7277-256-2.
• Kučera, Pavel (2007). Československé prototypy 1938 (in Czech) (1. vyd ed.). Jakab: Nevojice. p. 112. ISBN 978-80-903-6379-3.

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Praga E-51.

• Praga E-51 na vhu.cz
• Praga E-51 (ČSR) na panzernet.net
• Praga E-51: moderní československý průzkumník na iDNES/blog