AGO Ao 192

Ao 192 Kurier
	D-OCTB in Tunisia, 1939
Role	Light transport/utility aircraft
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	AGO Flugzeugwerke
First flight	1935
Number built	9

The Ago Ao 192 Kurier (Courier) was a small German twin-engined aircraft designed and built by AGO Flugzeugwerke in the 1930s. A small production run of six aircraft followed three prototypes, these being used as transports.

Development and design

The AGO Flugzeugwerke was re-established at Oschersleben in 1934,^[1] with its first design a multi-purpose light-twin-engined aircraft offered against the same requirement for a light aircraft that produced the Gotha Go 146 and Siebel Fh 104.^[2]

AGO's design, the Ao 192, was a low-winged cantilever monoplane of all-metal construction. Its monocoque fuselage accommodated a crew of two pilots who sat side by side in an enclosed flight deck, while there were seats for five passengers in a separate cabin. It was powered by two 179 kW (240 hp) Argus As 10 and had a retractable tailwheel undercarriage.^[1]

The first prototype made its maiden flight in mid-1935, soon being followed by a second aircraft, similar to the first. A third prototype, with a deeper fuselage allowing an additional passenger to be carried, more powerful engines and a revised undercarriage, formed the basis for the planned Ao 192B civil transport, with versions planned to serve as light transports, ambulance aircraft and survey aircraft. In addition, a number of military variants were proposed, including a light reconnaissance aircraft and a light bomber.^[1]

AGO had large orders for licence-built aircraft for the Luftwaffe however, with much of their wartime work involved with Focke-Wulf, and only six AGO production aircraft could be built.^[1]

Operational history

The six production aircraft were acquired by the German state, with one being used as the personal transport of Dr Robert Ley, the head of the Reichsarbeitdienst (RAD/Reich Labour Service), while others were used as transports by the Waffen-SS and at the Luftwaffe test-centre at Rechlin.^[1]

Variants

Ao 192V1: First prototype. Argus As 10 C engines.
Ao 192V2: Second prototype, revised, braced, tailplane.
Ao 192V3: Third prototype. Argus As 10E engines, revised fuselage and undercarriage.
Ao 192B: Production series based on V3. Six built.

Specifications (Ao 192B)

Ago 192 3-view drawing from L'Aerophile April 1937

Data from Air International June 1977,^[1] Flugzeug-Typenbuch 1941^[3]

General characteristics

Crew: 1 pilot + 1 radio operator
Capacity: 6 passengers
Length: 10.98 m (36 ft 0 in)
Wingspan: 13.54 m (44 ft 5 in)
Height: 3.64 m (11 ft 11 in)
Wing area: 25.04 m² (269.5 sq ft)
Empty weight: 1,640 kg (3,616 lb)
Gross weight: 2,860 kg (6,305 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 2,950 kg (6,504 lb)
Fuel capacity: main tank:410 L (110 US gal; 90 imp gal); oil tank:38 L (10 US gal; 8.4 imp gal)
Powerplant: 2 × Argus As 10E air-cooled inverted V-8 engine, 200 kW (270 hp) each
Propellers: 2-bladed variable-pitch wooden propellers, 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in) diameter

Performance

Maximum speed: 335 km/h (208 mph, 181 kn) at 2,000 m (6,600 ft)
Cruise speed: 238 km/h (148 mph, 129 kn) at 2,000 m (6,600 ft)
Landing Speed: 90 km/h (56 mph; 49 kn)
Range: 1,360 km (850 mi, 730 nmi)
Endurance: 3.86 hours
Service ceiling: 5,200 m (17,100 ft) on 2 engines; 1,500 m (4,900 ft) on 1 engine
Time to altitude: 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in 3.2 minutes; 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in 7.2 minutes; 4,000 m (13,000 ft) in 20 minutes
Wing loading: 114.05 kg/m² (23.36 lb/sq ft)
Power/mass: 5.3 kg/hp
Landing run: 275 m (902 ft)
Take-off run: 235 m (771 ft)

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Air International June 1977, p.305.
^ Smith and Kay 1972, p.578.
^ Schneider, Helmut (1941). Flugzeug-Typenbuch 1941 (in German) (1941 ed.). Leipzig: Herm. Beyer Verlag. p. 10.

References

Munson, K. G. (1960). Enemy Aircraft (German and Italian) of World War II. London: Ian Allen. p. 64.
Lucchini, Carlo (April 1999). "Le meeting saharien de 1938" [The 1938 Sahara Air Meeting]. Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (73): 53–57. ISSN 1243-8650.
"Plane Facts". Air International, June 1977, Vol 12 No 6. p. 306.
Smith, J.R. and Kay, Antony J. German Aircraft of the Second World War. London: Putnam, 1990. ISBN 0 85177 836 4.

External links

AGO Ao 192
Ago Ao 192 "Kurier" - In Polish

[AI-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Air International June 1977, p.305.

[Smith_&_Kay_p578-2] Smith and Kay 1972, p.578.

[FT1941-3] Schneider, Helmut (1941). Flugzeug-Typenbuch 1941 (in German) (1941 ed.). Leipzig: Herm. Beyer Verlag. p. 10.

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