The Beneš-Mráz Be-50 Beta-Minor was a light airplane manufactured in Czechoslovakia shortly before World War II.
Design and development First flown in 1935, it was a low-wing cantilever monoplane of wooden construction, with tandem open cockpits and fixed tailwheel undercarriage. The aircraft proved popular with Czechoslovakia's aeroclubs and was successful in international competitions. In 1937, the designers created a modernised version, the Be-51, which featured a reduced wingspan and fully enclosed cockpits. A final variant, the Be-52 Beta-Major retained the Be-50's open cockpits but featured improved aerodynamics and a more powerful Walter Major engine.
Operational history Like other Czechoslovak aircraft, all available machines were impressed into Air Force service at the outbreak of war. Several Be-51s survived to be used by the Luftwaffe as liaison aircraft and trainers during the occupation.Ketley, Barry, and Rolfe, Mark. Luftwaffe Fledglings 1935–1945: Luftwaffe Training Units and their Aircraft (Aldershot, GB: Hikoki Publications, 1996), p.11.
In 2015, replica of Be-50 started operating. It crashed at airshow in August 2018, killing its pilot. Na Prachaticku spadlo unikátní letadlo Be 50 Beta Minor, pilot zemřel – iDNES.cz
Variants Be-50 Beta-MinorTandem open cockpits and span wings. Be-51 Beta-Minortandem seats in an enclosed cabin and span wings. Be-52 Beta-MajorStrengthened and more powerful two-seat aerobatic trainer, with span wings. Be-56 Beta-MajorStrengthened and more powerful single-seat aerobatic trainer, with span wings.
Operators
Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia
Luftwaffe
Slovak Air Force (1939–1945)
Specifications (Be-51 Beta-Minor)
Notes
References
Němeček, V. (1968). Československá letadla. Praha: Naše Vojsko.