A development version of the successful multi-purpose aircraft by Aero Vodochody. Used in Polish air ambulance service in the 1960s and 1970s.
The Aero Ae-145 was developed at the SPP Kunovice design office in 1959 as another modification of the already serially produced Aero-45 aircraft. It was a four-seat ambulance and utility aircraft of all-metal construction, in a low-wing configuration. The improvements introduced (technological changes and more powerful engines) allowed this design to remain on the market for several more years. At the Let factory, nearly 150 examples were built between 1959 and 1961 — mainly for export. Their assembly was halted when the L-200 Morava entered production.
As with earlier versions, the Aero Ae-145 was intended to be an export success for the Czechoslovak industry. The main importer of the Aero Ae-145 was the USSR; they were also sold to buyers in Asia and Africa. Individual examples even reached Australia. A total of 11 aircraft of this type were imported to Poland between 1959 and 1962. They were operated in air ambulance service, and some were later transferred to other users. Individual Aero Ae-145s flew in Poland until the late 1970s.
The Museum’s collection includes two examples of the Aero Ae-145. The first, with factory number 172006, was manufactured in 1959 and, after service with the Institute for the Inspection of Civil Aircraft (IKCSP) and subsequently with the Air Services Enterprise, was transferred to the Museum’s collection in 1979. The second, with factory number 172011, comes from the 1959 production series and bears the registration SP-LXH. It was used by the Air Ambulance Unit in Zielona Gora, and after logging over 2,800 flight hours, it was transferred to the Museum’s collection in 1980.
| Wingspan | 12,25 m |
| Length | 7,8 m |
| Takeoff weight | 1500 kg |
| Maximum speed | 280 km/h |
| Ceiling | 5900 m |
| Range | 1700 km |
| Armament | – |
| Engine | 2x inverted inline Walter M-332, 140 hp (103 kW) |
