Avia S-102

The Avia S‑102 was a Czechoslovakian two‑seat light aircraft built in the early 1950s by the Avia works in Prague. Designed as a basic trainer and sport flyer, the S‑102 made its maiden flight on 12 June 1951 and entered limited production the following year. The airframe was an all‑metal, low‑wing monoplane with a fixed, split‑type undercarriage and a semi‑enclosed cockpit covered by a sliding canopy. Power was supplied by a 105 hp Walter Minor 4‑III air‑cooled inverted‑four engine, giving a maximum speed of 210 km/h, a service ceiling of 4 500 m and a range of 750 km. Its simple control layout, forgiving stall characteristics, and robust construction made it ideal for primary flight instruction; the Czechoslovak Air Force adopted the S‑102 for ab initio training, and a small batch was exported to Hungary, Poland and East Germany. Although only about 120 were built, the aircraft demonstrated that Czechoslovakia could produce modern, domestically engineered trainers without relying on Soviet designs. The S‑102 therefore occupies a notable place in the nation’s post‑war aviation history, bridging wartime experience with the emergence of a self‑sufficient civil‑military aeronautical industry.