{"id":1605629,"date":"2026-04-08T18:57:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T16:57:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/armahobbynews.pl\/?p=1605629"},"modified":"2026-04-08T19:08:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T17:08:48","slug":"avia-s-92-turbina-the-czech-jet-messerschmitt-70083","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/armahobbynews.pl\/en\/blog\/2026\/04\/08\/avia-s-92-turbina-the-czech-jet-messerschmitt-70083\/","title":{"rendered":"Avia S-92 Turbina \u2013 The Czech Jet Messerschmitt"},"content":{"rendered":"

Developing a historical model is very rarely a matter of simply \u201crecreating what was there\u201d. Much more often, it is a journey from low-resolution truth<\/em> \u2014 an incomplete, blurred picture built from fragments of information \u2014 to a version that can be honestly defended on factual grounds.<\/p>\n

At Arma Hobby, we regularly run into moments when something simply does not fit historically<\/strong>. A photo caption does not match the aircraft number. A popular interpretation has no strong source behind it. A well-known paint scheme turns out to be a reconstruction based more on repeated artwork than on a period photograph. And that is exactly when the real work begins \u2014 less spectacular, perhaps, but by far the most interesting part of developing a model.<\/p>\n

The paradox is that knowledge about such details very often does exist<\/strong> \u2014 but it is scattered. Some of it is in publications, some on forums, some in local studies, and some simply in the memory of modellers and enthusiasts who have been immersed in the subject for years. So the problem is not only the lack of information, but rather how to extract from all this a picture that makes sense and does not fall apart when examined more closely.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Avia S-92 Turbina, V-34, Praha-Kbely Museum. The gun barrel openings are clearly faired over. Photo: Wikimedia Commons<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

That was exactly the case with the Czech Messerschmitt Me 262 \u2014 the Avia S-92 and CS-92. At first glance it seems like a niche subject, but once you look closer, it is full of traps: unclear designations, conflicting photo captions, legends repeated for decades, and sources that are not easy to reach \u2014 especially with the language barrier.<\/p>\n

On this project, we were helped by two Czech aviation historians: Franti\u0161ek \u0160r\u00e9dl and \u2014 in particular \u2014 Tom\u00e1\u0161 Dvo\u0159\u00e1k. Thanks to their guidance and several key sources, we were able to narrow the field of uncertainty and arrive at an image of the aircraft that could be reconstructed in an honest way.<\/p>\n

In the end, we chose not the most legendary option, but the one we considered the safest historically<\/strong> \u2014 an aircraft documented well enough that its appearance and markings could be reconstructed without adding more than the sources actually allow.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Trying to bring the Me 262 back to life<\/h2>\n

For most modellers, the Czech Avia S-92 and CS-92 are still a fairly exotic subject. The Me 262 itself is a very famous aircraft, but far fewer people know about its post-war Czechoslovak life. And that is a pity, because it is a very interesting chapter in aviation history.<\/p>\n

During the Second World War, the well-industrialised parts of the German Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia were fully drawn into the German war effort. Among other things, German tanks and self-propelled guns based on the Czech LT vz. 38 were produced here, along with Me 109 and Me 262 aircraft.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

After the war, Czechoslovakia was left with parts, components, unfinished airframes and the entire industrial background needed to assemble several aircraft directly derived from the Me 262. That is how the Avia S-92 (single-seat) and CS-92 (two-seat) came into being. In much the same way, what remained of the Me 109 led to the Avia S-199 and CS-199. In the case of these jet Messerschmitts, this was not a normal serial production programme, but rather a post-war effort to assemble and put into service aircraft from whatever could be taken over and made airworthy.<\/p>\n

The development of the Avia S-92 can now be placed in time reasonably well \u2014 although, as in many other aspects of this programme, the details are not always fully unambiguous.<\/p>\n

Anton\u00edn Kraus (1908\u20131951), Czech test pilot, with the Avia S-92 prototype in 1946. Photo: Wikimedia Commons<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The first attempts to assemble aircraft from available components began as early as late 1945<\/strong>, and work on the first example continued through the first half of 1946<\/strong>. On 27 August 1946<\/strong>, the first successful flight of the S-92 took place, and further aircraft followed soon afterwards. Later that same year, on 10 December 1946<\/strong>, the two-seat CS-92, intended for pilot training, made its first flight. In 1947<\/strong>, the aircraft began entering service, and in June of that year the designations S-92 and CS-92<\/strong> were officially adopted. Production was short and limited \u2014 in practice it ended in early 1948<\/strong>, after only a small number of aircraft had been completed.<\/p>\n

In the following years, these aircraft served mainly for training and for gaining experience with jet aviation. In 1950<\/strong>, they were assigned to the 5th Fighter Unit, but by 1951<\/strong> they had already been withdrawn from front-line service.<\/p>\n

There were only a few of these aircraft, but they played an important role as Czechoslovak aviation\u2019s first practical contact with jet technology. They flew without installed armament, with the gun openings faired over. Their role was testing, introduction into service, training and building experience with an entirely new type of machine. That is why their story is so interesting today \u2014 because this is not just a \u201cCzech Me 262\u201d, but an aircraft from a very specific moment of transition: between war and peace, between the Luftwaffe and the new Czechoslovak air arm.<\/p>\n

Who was who? A short guide to the S-92 and CS-92 numbers<\/h2>\n

With the S-92 and CS-92, it quickly becomes clear that the biggest problem is not the lack of interesting paint schemes, but the numbers.<\/p>\n

There were only a handful of aircraft, yet they existed under several different designation systems at once. The same aircraft could first appear as V-36 during the trial and introduction stage, and later as KR-36 in service. On top of that, there are gaps in the documents, ambiguous photo captions, and several places where the sources simply do not agree.<\/p>\n

That is why the table below is not meant to be the final revealed truth, but rather the most honest ordering of what can currently be said about the individual S-92 and CS-92 aircraft.<\/p>\n

\n

Table 1. Known Avia S-92 and CS-92 airframes and their designations in Czechoslovak service<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Airframe<\/th>\nLV\u00da \/ VL\u00da designation<\/th>\nDesignation in SL 5 \/ 5. slt<\/th>\nNotes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
S-92.2<\/td>\nV-33<\/td>\n\u2013<\/td>\nAccording to the available information, S-92.2 = V-33. In 1949, a cockpit modification was carried out at Avia; by 1950, the aircraft was no longer intended for training.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
CS-92.3<\/td>\nV-31<\/td>\nKR-31?<\/td>\nAccording to the available information, CS-92.3 = V-31. This was the first Czechoslovak two-seat jet aircraft; first flown on 10 December 1946. Preserved in a museum after service.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
S-92.4<\/td>\nV-34<\/td>\nKR-34?<\/td>\nAccording to the available information, S-92.4 = V-34. An aircraft linked to a documented period of trials and later service.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
CS-92.5<\/td>\nV-35<\/td>\nKR-35<\/td>\nThe KR-35 designation for the CS-92 is confirmed in the available material.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
S-92.6<\/td>\nV-36?<\/td>\nKR-36<\/td>\nThe KR-36 designation for the S-92 is confirmed. This is the aircraft later associated with the supposed \u201cMickey Mouse\u201d story, but there is no certain photographic confirmation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
S-92.7<\/td>\nV-37<\/td>\nKR-37?<\/td>\nTaken over by the military administration on 11 October 1950 as S-92 V-37; later recorded in LV\u00da documentation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
S-92.8<\/td>\nV-38?<\/td>\n\u2013<\/td>\nThe V-38 designation seems logical, but the sources here are not as strong as in other cases.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
S-92.9<\/td>\nV-40? \/ V-39?<\/td>\nKR-40? \/ KR-39?<\/td>\nThe most interesting aircraft for Arma Hobby. A photograph from \u017datec in 1949 is interpreted as most likely showing V-40, although the documentation also contains ambiguity involving V-39.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
S-92.10<\/td>\nV-39? \/ V-40?<\/td>\nKR-39? \/ KR-40?<\/td>\nThe airframe that breaks the pattern for us \u2014 the sources show overlapping possible identifications of V-39 \/ V-40. This is exactly why identifying V-40 requires caution and close work with the specific features of the aircraft.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Prepared on the basis of: Irra, Miroslav, Avia S\/CS-92…<\/em>, see the bibliography at the end of the article.<\/p>\n

\n

In the case of the Czechoslovak Me 262s, the same aircraft may appear in sources under several different designations, depending on the stage of its career. S-92 denotes the single-seat version, while CS-92 denotes the two-seat one. The V-\u2026 series designations come from the period of trials, evaluation and introduction into service, and are connected with the institutions abbreviated VL\u00da \/ LV\u00da (V\u00fdzkumn\u00fd leteck\u00fd \u00fastav \/ later Leteck\u00fd v\u00fdzkumn\u00fd \u00fastav), the Czechoslovak aviation research and test establishment. This is the context in which codes such as V-31, V-33, V-34 and V-40 appear.<\/p>\n

Designations linked to later military service, in turn, appear in connection with SL 5 \/ 5. slt (5. st\u00edhac\u00ed letka, that is, the 5th fighter flight \/ unit). During this period, the later KR-\u2026 series designations also came into use. Importantly, after the aircraft were transferred to SL 5, the \u201cV\u201d codes were still used for some time before being replaced by the \u201cKR\u201d designations. This is why the same aircraft may appear in sources first as V-36 and later as KR-36.<\/p>\n

For a modeller, this has a very practical meaning: the designation visible in a photo caption does not always tell you at what stage of service<\/strong> a particular aircraft is being shown. And that directly affects how its markings, configuration and overall appearance should be interpreted.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The best-known Avia S-92, used for ground training and later preserved as a museum exhibit. Photo: Destination\u2019s Journey.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Which paint scheme should we choose?<\/h2>\n

Among the Czechoslovak S-92s, two options immediately catch a modeller\u2019s eye.<\/p>\n

The first is PL-01<\/strong> \u2014 visually very striking, with a colourful lightning flash on the nose and a large number of photos. The problem is that this designation is known from a museum \/ memorial aircraft, not from well-documented operational service. For that reason, from the start we treated it more as a curiosity than as a serious candidate for the box art option.<\/p>\n

Why did we not choose V-36 with \u201cMickey Mouse\u201d?<\/h2>\n

The second option was much more tempting: V-36 with the supposed Mickey Mouse emblem<\/strong>. And this turned out to be one of the most interesting traps in the whole project.<\/p>\n

At first glance, everything looks perfect. There is a number, there is a legend, and there is even a \u201cknown\u201d image of the aircraft. The problem began when we started looking for photographs and asking Czech specialists about this machine. The deeper we went into the subject, the clearer it became that the popular image of V-36 is, to a large extent, a reconstruction rather than a documented fact.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A popular but incorrect vision of Avia S-92 V-36 markings, after Miroslav Balous (1976 and 1995; see bibliography). Colour profile: Zbyszek Malicki.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

What do we actually know?<\/h3>\n

Accounts quoted in Czech studies suggest that the S-92 V-36 really did carry a Mickey Mouse emblem. According to recollections, it was painted by Ladislav Matoulek<\/strong>, a technician associated first with LV\u00da and later with 5. st\u00edhac\u00ed letka. The problem is that no known photograph survives showing this emblem painted on the aircraft. So we do not know exactly what this Mickey Mouse looked like, nor where exactly it was placed.<\/p>\n

So where did the \u201cknown\u201d Mickey come from?<\/h3>\n

The most widespread image of V-36 comes from artwork published by Miroslav Balous<\/strong> on the back cover of the magazine Letectv\u00ed a kosmonautika<\/em>, issue 19 from 1976<\/strong>. This is what shaped the later image of the aircraft among modellers.<\/p>\n

But this illustration was not a faithful reconstruction based on a photograph. It was an attempt to \u201cfill in\u201d the emblem from recollections. Moreover, everything suggests that Balous based the Mickey Mouse figure on the well-known emblem from Horst Carganico\u2019s Bf 109 of JG 5<\/strong>, later repeated in the modelling iconographic circuit. In practice, this means that the \u201cCzech Mickey\u201d known from publications is more a variation on an existing motif than the real, documented appearance of the emblem carried by V-36.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\t