On this day in aviation history, 80 years ago (August 27, 1946), the Avia S-92.1 Turbina took flight for the first time. Avia chief test pilot Antonín Krause was at the controls of the Czechoslovakian-built version of the Messerschmitt Me 262. Constructed from the remains of Germany’s wartime aircraft industry, the S-92 helped bring the newly reestablished Czechoslovakian Air Force into the jet age. During WWII, Czechoslovakian factories had produced Me 262 components and Junkers Jumo 004 turbojet engines for Germany. Following the war, surviving airframes, components, engines, blueprints, and manufacturing equipment allowed Avia to resume production of the design. The Jumo 004B engines were rebuilt in Czechoslovakia and designated M-04, while the single-seat fighter became the S-92 and the two-seat trainer the CS-92.
The first S-92.1 was lost in an accident in September 1946, but development continued. Seven single-seat S-92 fighters and three two-seat CS-92 trainers were ultimately completed. The aircraft entered Czechoslovakian service in 1947 and were later operated by the 5th Fighter Squadron at Kbely. Their careers proved brief as newer Soviet aircraft such as the MiG-15 quickly rendered the wartime design obsolete. One S-92 and one CS-92 survive today at the Prague Aviation Museum. The S-92 retained the basic specifications and performance of the Me 262A-1a. Power came from two M-04 axial-flow turbojets, rebuilt versions of the Junkers Jumo 004B, while maximum speed was approximately 540 mph. Standard armament consisted of four 30 mm MK 108 cannons mounted in the nose. Despite its German origins, the S-92 became an important stepping stone in the development of postwar Czechoslovakian military aviation.
