Aero A.200
# Aero A.200

The Aero A.200 was a sportsplane of Czechoslovakia, designed and built specifically to compete in Challenge 1934, the European touring plane championships. It was a four-seater low-wing monoplane.

## Operational service

Flown in competition by Ján Ambruš, the A.200 took fourth place, beaten by the RWD-9 (that took both first and second places for Poland) and the Fieseler Fi 97 (from Germany). The other A.200, flown by Vojtěch Žaček, took the 14th place for 34 competitors. They carried registrations OK-AMA and OK-AMB.

In a technical evaluation, A.200s scored the 4th result from among aircraft types taking part in the Challenge. They had the best short take-off capabilities in the contest – A.200s needed 74.5-77.6 m to take off and fly over 8-m high gate, although they needed some 118 m to land from above the gate.

## Description

Mixed construction low-wing monoplane, braced with wire. Fuselage of a steel frame, covered with wood and canvas, elliptical in cross-section. Rectangular wings of wooden construction, canvas covered, fitted with all-span slats and with flaps. Wings were folding rearwards. Cab had two seats side by side in front, with twin controls, and two seats in the rear, under a common multi-part canopy. Fixed landing gear with a rear skid. Radial engine in fuselage nose, with NACA cowling. Two-blade propeller.

## Specifications (A.200)

General characteristics

* Crew: 1 or 2
* Capacity: 2 or 3 passengers
* Length: 7.80 m (25 ft 7 in)
* Wingspan: 11.10 m (36 ft 5 in)
* Height: 2.55 m (8 ft 4 in)
* Wing area: 16.6 $m^2$ (179 sq ft)
* Empty weight: 560 kg (1,235 lb)
* Gross weight: 950 kg (2,094 lb)
* Powerplant: 1 × Walter Bora 9-cyl. air-cooled radial piston engine, 160 kW (220 hp)

Performance

* Maximum speed: 255 km/h (158 mph, 138 kn)
* Cruise speed: 220 km/h (140 mph, 120 kn)
* Stall speed: 55 km/h (34 mph, 30 kn)
* Range: 800 km (500 mi, 430 nmi)
* Service ceiling: 6,300 m (20,700 ft)
* Wing loading: 57.2 $kg/m^2$ (11.7 lb/sq ft)
* Power/mass: 0.17 kW/kg (0.11 hp/lb)
