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The Beneš-Mráz Be-50 Beta-Minor was a light airplane manufactured in Czechoslovakia shortly before World War II.
Design and development
First flown in 1935, it was a low-wing cantilevermonoplane of wooden construction, with tandem open cockpits and fixed tailwheel undercarriage. The aircraft proved popular with Czechoslovakia's aeroclubs and was successful in international competitions. In 1937, the designers created a modernised version, the Be-51, which featured a reduced wingspan and fully enclosed cockpits. A final variant, the Be-52 Beta-Major retained the Be-50's open cockpits but featured improved aerodynamics and a more powerful Walter Majorengine.
Operational history
Like other Czechoslovakian aircraft, all available machines were impressed into Air Force service at the outbreak of war. Several Be-51s survived to be used by the Luftwaffe as liaison aircraft and trainers during the occupation.[1]
In 2015, replica of Be-50 started operating. It crashed at airshow in August 2018, killing its pilot. [2]
Variants
Be-50 Beta-Minor
Tandem open cockpits and 12.66 m (41.5 ft) span wings.
Be-51 Beta-Minor
tandem seats in an enclosed cabin and 11.44 m (37.5 ft) span wings.
Powerplant: 1 × Walter Minor 4-cyl. inverted air-cooled in-line piston engine, 71 kW (95 hp) for take-off
Propellers: 2-bladed fixed pitch propeller
Performance
Maximum speed: 205 km/h (127 mph, 111 kn) at sea level
Cruise speed: 180 km/h (110 mph, 97 kn)
Range: 800 km (500 mi, 430 nmi)
Service ceiling: 5,000 m (16,000 ft)
Time to altitude: 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in 6 minutes
Notes
^Ketley, Barry, and Rolfe, Mark. Luftwaffe Fledglings 1935–1945: Luftwaffe Training Units and their Aircraft (Aldershot, GB: Hikoki Publications, 1996), p.11.