Engineering:Avia BH-8

Short description: Prototype Czechoslovak fighter aircraft

BH-8
Role	Fighter
Manufacturer	Avia
Designer	Pavel Beneš and Miroslav Hajn
First flight	1923
Number built	1

The Avia BH-8 was a prototype fighter aircraft built in Czechoslovakia in 1923. It was an unequal-span biplane developed on the basis of the ill-fated BH-6 design, in an attempt to address that type's problems. It shared the BH-6's unusual wing cellule design.

When test-flown in late 1923, it did indeed display better flying characteristics than its predecessor, but was overtaken in development by another variation of the same design, the BH-17.

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: one pilot
• Length: 6.49 m (21 ft 3 in)
• Wingspan: 9.48 m (31 ft 1 in)
• Height: 2.77 m (9 ft 1 in)
• Wing area: 22.1 m² (238 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 843 kg (1,858 lb)
• Gross weight: 1,143 kg (2,520 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Skoda licence-built Hispano-Suiza 8Fb Vee-8 , 310 kW (231 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 222 km/h (138 mph, 120 kn)
• Range: 450 km (280 mi, 240 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 8,000 m (26,200 ft)
• Rate of climb: 5.7 m/s (1,115 ft/min)

Armament

• 2 × fixed, forward-firing .303 Vickers machine guns

See also

Related development

• BH-6
• BH-17

References

• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. pp. 86. 
• World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 889 Sheet 86. 
• Němeček, V. (1968). Československá letadla. Praha: Naše Vojsko.
• airwar.ru