Avia B 35

1938

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Avia B 35

To provide a potential successor to the B 534 in service with the Czechoslovak air arm, the Ministry of National Defence prepared an outline requirement for a singleseat fighter monoplane in late 1935. To meet this requirement, Ing Frantisek Novotny designed the B 35 for which a two-prototype contract was awarded in 1936. The B 35 was of mixed construction, with wooden wings covered by plywood bonded to an outer duralumin skin - a stressed skinning similar to Plymax that was being used for the Morane-Saulnier MS 405 - and a welded steel-tube fuselage with duralumin panelling forward and fabric skinning aft. With an HS 12Ydrs rated at 860hp at 4000m, the first prototype, the B 35.1, flew on 28 September 1938. It was re-engined with an HS 12 Ycrs which, similarly rated to the Ydrs, made provision for a 20mm cannon in the Vee of the cylinders, but it crashed on 21 November, being replaced in the test programme on 30 December 1938 by the second prototype, the B 35.2. This featured some increase in fuselage cross section, smaller ailerons and extended flaps. Work continued after the German annexation of Bohemia and Moravia, a third prototype, the B 35.3, flying on 26 June 1939. This had a retractable undercarriage, a non-elliptical wing leading edge and an armament of one 20mm cannon and two 7.92mm machine guns. Prior to the commencement of flight test, the B 35.3 was exhibited at the Salon de l'Aeronautique in Brussels as the Avia 135.

3-View 
Avia B 35A three-view drawing (1673 x 1260)

Specification 
 MODELB-35
 CREW1
 ENGINE1 x 860hp Hispano-Suiza 12Ycrs
 WEIGHTS
  Take-off weight2200 kg4850 lb
  Empty weight1690 kg3726 lb
 DIMENSIONS
  Wingspan10.25 m34 ft 8 in
  Length8.50 m28 ft 11 in
  Height2.60 m9 ft 6 in
  Wing area17.23 m2185.46 sq ft
 PERFORMANCE
  Max. speed485 km/h301 mph
  Cruise speed344 km/h214 mph
  Ceiling8200 m26900 ft
  Range610 km379 miles
 ARMAMENT1 x 20mm

Comments
lxbfYeaa, e-mail, 14.03.2024 05:47

20

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Jurax, e-mail, 01.07.2017 22:09

Armament was one engine-mounted 20 mm canon H.S.404 (60 rounds in drum magazine) and two 7,92 mm machine guns vz.30 (Mk. 30) in the nose.

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Martin, e-mail, 11.04.2023 Jurax

The 20 mm gun was never mounted...

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huawuke, 18.06.2011 10:57

my mistake, on the picture should be the B-35.3. :o)
The B-35.1. was the prototype with the "non-retractable landing gears".

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Leo Rudnicki, e-mail, 23.08.2009 18:13

The Heikel 70 is considered to be the greatest influence on elliptical wing planforms, though not the first or only. The fuselage construction was more Hurricane than Spitfire, tube and rag. The original wings were wood, elliptical and with fixed gear. The B 135 supplied to Bulgaria had metal wings with straight leading edges and retractable gear. Bulgaria was licensed to build more but didn't. 4 Bulgarian B 135's reportedly shot down a B-24 in 1944.

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Honza C, e-mail, 23.08.2009 08:24

Great looking plane, and certainly has some resemblances to the Schmitfire or the other way around I guess since this came before.. except for the chin radiator. How do you think this plane would have help against the Bf-109D, and E's in service at the time of Fall Grun?

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Radek, e-mail, 11.02.2009 16:32

no, Avia was sooner than the first spitfire, so Spitfire is accordance our Avia, that is for sure.

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Martin, e-mail, 11.04.2023 Radek

Spitfire first flew in March 1936 when specs for Avia were in dreams of god knows who :)...

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Vaclav, 16.06.2008 21:16

The aircraft on the picture is Avia B 135 or its prototype.

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Martin P., e-mail, 11.11.2007 11:25

Sorry, my mistake, on the picture should be the B-35.3. :o)
The B-35.1. was the prototype with the "non-retractable landing gears".

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Martin Pener, e-mail, 11.11.2007 11:22

First prototypes´s flight on September 28th 1938. Engine HS 12Ycrs. Max. speed 485 km /h. Because of the ocupation of Czech in March 1939, it was not produced.

On the picture we can probably see prototype B-35.1. - the earlier version had only "fixed - non-retractable" landing gears (Sorry I don´t know the right English terms for this.)

However, on the base of this type, was (under the German control and also technological suport) in 1942 producet the type Avia B-135 for Bulgaria. Max. speed 535km /h, Because the speed was in the 1942 wery small, the Bulgaria bourgt only 12 planes.

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3VI, e-mail, 22.09.2007 09:24

Spitfire-inspired wings and landing gear?

reply

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