Introducing the Avia 51

Milton Shupe

Milton Shupe

Staff Contributor
Staff member
This is a beautiful 6-passenger commercial transport made in Czechoslavakia in 1932-33.

The manufacturer was Avia, designer by Robert Nebasar. Only 3 were built ...

Until now, I am working on number 4. :)

And this is the first flight ...
 
Hurricane91 said:
...and I am grateful that you are. It's a difficult subject to model but you have done a beautiful job. Thanks for the hard work put in on this one.

John
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Thank you John and the others at the Historic Aircraft Forum here for all the research and "finds" that were provided. Those efforts will result in a more accurate representation of this beautiful aircraft.

A challenge for all of us will be to find some reference to panels and gauges, and interior decor. :wiggle:
 
I thought I would never see one in our virtual skies...(wipes tear)
From Revolution in the Sky:
...A footnote to the paticipation of Lockheeds in the Spanish Civil War was provided by a Czechoslovakian airplane, the trimotored Avia 51. This aircraft was developed by Robert Nebesar, who had worked as an aerodynamics engineer for Detroit Aircraft and then returned to his native Prague. Cigar-shaped and streamlined with cowls and pants, the metal plane clearly showed the influence of the designer's days in the Motor City.
Just three of Nebesar's 7-place trimotors were built in 1933 by the Czechoslovak Aircraft Works. They were supposedly sold to Estonia, but in actuality shipped to Spain. In the course of delivery, the tramp steamer transporting the three airplanes reportedly was sunk without a trace...
 
Another sterling product, as usual. As a native of Detroit, or the Detroit area anyway, I am looking forward to its release. A very sharp-looking aircraft, indeed. Thank you, Milton!

Detroit Aircraft - didn't that have some connection to Stinson or Stout, both of which were from Detroit? Dad was living in Detroit periodically during the 20s and 30s and showed me where the old Stinson plant was in Wayne, Michigan. As far as I know it's still there. It used to belong to Gar Wood, who built racing hydroplanes, wooden pleasure craft, over-the-road trailers and pontoons for aircraft, I think.
 
Dr Zook - this occurred to me after I finished posting my previous missive - if you or anyone else is interested in an unusual aircraft, how about the one Wiley Post and Will Rogers were using in their round-the-world flight in (I believe) 1935 or 1936 that eventually killed them both at Pt Barrow, AK? It had parts (fuselage and wings) from two different Lockeed aircraft, plus custom-built pontoons. It had severe stability problems because it was a lash-up, must have been a handful even for Post.

Another one would be Charles Lindbergh's "Tingmissartooq" (sp - I probably badly fractured that one!). I saw it in the Smithsonian Museum of Flight in DC when I was stationed there some time ago. It was very similar to a Lockheed Altair but again with modifications. Anne Morrow Lindbergh actually flew the aircraft herself while accompanying her husband. She must have been some kind of girl given her size and the physical effort required to move those control surfaces.
 
SSI01 said:
Dr Zook - this occurred to me after I finished posting my previous missive - if you or anyone else is interested in an unusual aircraft, how about the one Wiley Post and Will Rogers were using in their round-the-world flight in (I believe) 1935 or 1936 that eventually killed them both at Pt Barrow, AK? It had parts (fuselage and wings) from two different Lockeed aircraft, plus custom-built pontoons. It had severe stability problems because it was a lash-up, must have been a handful even for Post.

Another one would be Charles Lindbergh's "Tingmissartooq" (sp - I probably badly fractured that one!). I saw it in the Smithsonian Museum of Flight in DC when I was stationed there some time ago. It was very similar to a Lockheed Altair but again with modifications. Anne Morrow Lindbergh actually flew the aircraft herself while accompanying her husband. She must have been some kind of girl given her size and the physical effort required to move those control surfaces.
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Wiley Post's plane had the fuselage of an ex-Transcontinental & Western Air Orion coupled with the long-span wings of a Model 4 Explorer (Lockheed only made three of these, all with tragic results). The floats were thought to be too big and the plane was nose-heavy. Apparently on takeoff the engine stopped cold only 50 feet up and flipped when it hit the water. The date: August 15, 1935.
Lindbergh's plane was actually the first Model 8 Sirius. Lindbergh had a lot of input in the design and construction. While the first few had open cockpits sliding canopies became standard equipment due to a suggested by...wait for it...Charles' wife Ann. When Lockheed put retractable landing gear it became the Model 8D Altair. While the Sirius and Altair were supposedly mail planes many used them for setting speed and distance records. The Lindberghs used theirs to map out routes for Pan Am.
These wooden wonders that defined Lockheed's early existence are well represented in Flight Sim. After all the Vega is a default plane (and when you replace the default gas tanks with the standard 100 gallon capacity it is a joy to fly). Jens Kristensen has a beautiful Orion in several variants. Our own NCGent has the Sirius and Air Express as payware, and our own PutPut had an Altair (no vc but still pretty neat)
As for recommended reading I would highly suggest Richard Sanders Allen's 'Revolution in the Sky'. :ernae:
Sorry about going OT on this thread--anything with the early Lockheed influence just gets me going. Looking forward to the Avia-that's gonna be awesome!
 
I just finished downloading JBK's Orions. What was the tank setup for the Vega? I note the two wing tanks were 96 gals each in the config - what about the other tanks that are listed?
 
SSI01 said:
I just finished downloading JBK's Orions. What was the tank setup for the Vega? I note the two wing tanks were 96 gals each in the config - what about the other tanks that are listed?
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A standard Model 5 Vega had one wing tank in each wing--only 50 gallons each. Total fuel capacity was 100 gallons. The default aircraft (Post's and Earhart's Vegas) were modified for much farther flights, hence the bigger wing tanks and the fuselage tanks taking the place of passenger seating.

Here's the fuel section from my modded Vega Ms Leeanna:
[fuel]
LeftMain = -6.2, -4.20, 2.7, 50.0, 0.0 //Longitudinal (feet), Lateral (feet), Vertical (feet), Usable(gallons), Unusable (gallons)
RightMain = -6.2, 4.20, 2.7, 50.0, 0.0 //Longitudinal (feet), Lateral (feet), Vertical (feet), Usable(gallons), Unusable (gallons)
fuel_type = 1 //Fuel type: 1 = Avgas, 2 = JetA
number_of_tank_selectors = 1
electric_pump=0
manual_transfer_pump=1

She handles a lot better with a full fuel load. Granted she can't fly as far, but with a BMW 132 under the cowl she is a bit quicker.:kilroy:
 
Yes, I suppose you can say that the Avia 51 is a cousin to the Lockheed family through the designer, but I think this one will be a sweet hand flyer. So far so good.

Progress after a week's work attached.
 
Drzook said:
A standard Model 5 Vega had one wing tank in each wing--only 50 gallons each. Total fuel capacity was 100 gallons. The default aircraft (Post's and Earhart's Vegas) were modified for much farther flights, hence the bigger wing tanks and the fuselage tanks taking the place of passenger seating.

Here's the fuel section from my modded Vega Ms Leeanna:
[fuel]
LeftMain = -6.2, -4.20, 2.7, 50.0, 0.0 //Longitudinal (feet), Lateral (feet), Vertical (feet), Usable(gallons), Unusable (gallons)
RightMain = -6.2, 4.20, 2.7, 50.0, 0.0 //Longitudinal (feet), Lateral (feet), Vertical (feet), Usable(gallons), Unusable (gallons)
fuel_type = 1 //Fuel type: 1 = Avgas, 2 = JetA
number_of_tank_selectors = 1
electric_pump=0
manual_transfer_pump=1

She handles a lot better with a full fuel load. Granted she can't fly as far, but with a BMW 132 under the cowl she is a bit quicker.:kilroy:
Click to expand...

Thanks much for the fuel settings, they are now in the config file - getting ready to take her up for a consumption and range test later. Many thanks!:salute:
 
Milton Shupe said:
Yes, I suppose you can say that the Avia 51 is a cousin to the Lockheed family through the designer, but I think this one will be a sweet hand flyer. So far so good.

Progress after a week's work attached.
Click to expand...

If it looks good it will fly good. This one looks great Mr. Shupe! Thank you for what you do for us all.:salute:
 
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