Photograph:
Mraz Sokol VH-BXY2 (c/n 254) in 1967 in South Australia (Geoff Goodall)
Country of origin:
Czechoslovakia
Description:
Three-seat light sport monoplane
Power Plant:
One 78 kw (105 hp) Walter Minor 4-III four-cylinder in-line air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 10.02 m (32 ft 9¾ in)
- Length: 7.34 m (24 ft 1 in)
- Height: 1.98 m (6 ft 5 in)
- Wing area: 13.79 m² (148.5 sq ft)
- Max speed at sea level: 241 km/h (150 mph)
- Cruising speed: 212 km/h (132 mph)
- Initial rate of climb: 200 m/min (656 ft/min)
- Ceiling: 4,999 m (16,400 ft)
- Range at cruising speed: 579 km (360 miles)
- Max range: 998 km (620 miles)
- Empty weight: 408 kg (900 lb)
- Loaded weight: 774 kg (1,707 lb)
History:
The Sokol (Falcon) was designed by the Czechoslovak Metal & Engineering Works in Prague. It was derived from a series of light aircraft designs produced before World War II by Benes-Mraz and was produced in a couple of variants, the design being prepared clandestinely during the German occupation. The prototype seated two and, known as the M-1/1, flew for the first time late in 1945, entering production as the M-1A. It was developed to seat three and was supplanted on the production line by the M-1C in 1947, this model having a re-designed clearer cockpit canopy. Later versions were the M-1D, being known as the M-1E when it was fitted with twin floats.
The aircraft was of all wood construction with plywood covering and was built in relatively substantial numbers but only a few survive. It had a retractable undercarriage which was manually operated. The M-1C had doors fitted on each side, whereas the M-1D and M-1E had the top of the canopy hinge to the port side.
One example was imported to Australia. This aircraft became VH-AXY (c/n 254 – ex HB-TAE) in April 1950 and was at one stage registered to Santos Limited of Adelaide, SA. However, the Department of Civil Aviation had overlooked that in 1949 it had banned the issue of the VH-AX series due to some imagined conflict with ICAO requirements and ordered all aircraft owners in this block to re-register their aircraft. The incorrect allocation for this aircraft was not picked up for ten years when the owner, who then lived in Adelaide, was summarily ordered to change it from VH-AXY to VH-BXY, which took place on 20 December 1961 when it was registered to Messrs C R Semmler and R E Obst of Forest Gardens, SA.
This aircraft became one of the victims of the Departmental ban imposed in 1962 on synthetic glued wooden structures and the Certificate of Airworthiness was suspended effective from 31 December 1963, along with Miles Messengers, Geminis and Proctor Mk 5s and a number of other aircraft. The aircraft was grounded at Parafield, SA in February 1963 and stored by E R Bob Burnett Read at his home in North Adelaide. In February 1967 it was sold to an RAAF officer at RAAF Edinburgh, SA and towed to that base for a rebuild but this does not seem to have occurred and its whereabouts are not known.