On 3rd January 1922, Aero A-10, the first commercial aircraft designed and built in Czechoslovakia, successfully completed its first flight.
The aeroplane was developed by a construction team led by Rudolf Blasser and made for one of the pioneering Czechoslovak air carrier companies, Československá letecká akciová společnost – Čs.L.A.S. (Czechoslovak aviation joint-stock company). The aeroplane was intended to provide regular air service between Prague and Dresden, with optional extension to Berlin. However, it was never delivered to Čs.L.A.S., as the company went bankrupt in a short time.
The A-10 was a biplane built in so-called limousine configuration, with enclosed, comfortable passenger cabin and open cockpit for the crew of two, situated behind the passenger compartment on top of the fuselage. The aeroplane was powered by a single six-cylinder, water-cooled Maybach Mb. IVa engine, generating 260 hp.
More information about the A-10 and its further service with Československé státní aerolinie (Czechoslovak State Airlines) can be found our article from Photo of the Week series – Aero A-10.
Cover photo: Aero A-10 (c/n 3, L-BALB), exhibited at Kbely Aviation Museum, Prague (Letecké muzeum Kbely), August 2022.
