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Aviation History
1947
1947 - 1838.PDF
474 FLIGHT October 2yd, 1947 The plan view of the S.£.l 010 (above) shows the Mereier aileron*. On the right is seen the general arrangement of the $.£.2010 trans- atlantic transport, twenty-five of which are on order, for Air.France. A View of France . . . more than 390ft, with the airfield and flying boat slipway. Of the pre-war sheds, only the massive hangar protdge" remains. Current activity includes the construc- tion of four S.E.1010 high-altitude sur- vey aircraft, mainplane assemblies for the S.E.2010 transatlantic landplane, and a flying scale model of the S.E.iaoo transatlantic flying boat. The mock- up shop housing the wooden flying model of the S.E.1200 was one of our first calls. This beautifully constructed little boat, powered With four Renault six- in-line engines, should fly in December. Lest the word "little " should convey a false impression, it may be men- tioned that the span is about 60ft. The full-sire aircraft is to be powered, in the first instance, with eight Arsenal 24H engines, though studies for the installation of Clydes or Pythons have been made, the estimated maximum speed of the Python version being 435 m.p.h. The span is to be 200ft and the length 177ft, and 125 passengers will be transported, in chaises tongues, for 3,750 miles. Thus this great boat will make an interesting comparison with our own SR45 and will, in fact, bear a marked resemblance to it. The planing bottom extends over almost the whole length of the hull, and the wing floats retract into the mainplane tips. Functionally and technically, the 53,ooo-lb S.E.1010 is of unusual interest. Being intended specifically for high-alti- tude photographic survey work in Africa on behalf of the French Geographical In- stitute, it has very elaborate photo- graphic equipment in a pressurized cabin, and is suitable for operation from rela- tively small fields. It must be the only large aircraft which carries a spare main wheel and a spare tail-wheel as standard equipment. On the power of four S.N.E.C.M.A. 14 R radials, the take-off run is estimated to be 360 yards. To permit the installation of flaps over as great a portion of the trailing edge as possible. Mercier ailerons, the plan form of which is apparent in our sketch, have General Domino, C.O.C. 2nd Air Region, addresses visiting journalists at the " Maridor" in Paris. been adopted. The S.E.ioio is normally to operate at heights between 26,000 and 33,000ft, and its estimated maximum speed is 350 m.p.h. One regretted that it was possible to see in the Marignane works only the main (inter-spar) sections of the S.E.2010 wing. The complete aircraft are assembled at Toulouse, and the first test flight should be made early next year. Twenty-five of these aircraft, appreciably larger than the Constellation, have been ordered by Air France. Powered by four Pratt and Whitney Wasp Major 4360 engines, they will weigh 137,000 lb, and measure 160ft span. Depend- ing on range, up to 160 passengers can be carried in the pressurized cabin. Apart from their constructional work, S.N.C.A.S.E. are converting a number of L6O45 I bombers into LeO455 photo- graphic aircraft for the French Air Ministry. As a climax to a memorable visit, we were privileged to fly in the S.E.200, No. 3 (Nos. 1 and a were destroyed by Allied bomb- ing) along the Mediterranean coast as far as Antibes. Having already sampled the luxury of the Latecoere 631, built to meet similar requirements, one found this especially interesting. Again one felt that, having regard to the date of the design, this great aircraft reflects the highest credit on those responsible. M. Claude Chautemps, our pilot, seemed to cope very ably with the Mistral, though, on the turn into wind before take-off, one wing float and an appreciable amount of its supporting gear were completely submerged, the float slowly reappearing like a midget submarine. After landing, M. Chautemps blandly informed us that he is a landplane pilot by trade. The evening was passed pleasantly -with I'Armee de I'Air in their quiet H.Q. town of Aix-en-Provence. We. dined in their cheerful little mess. October 1st. To-day our schedule read "Lyons-Zenith factory," but this visit was not to be, for we had vowed, with the concurrence of M. Frugier, to be back in Paris by late afternoon. The omission was keenly felt, particularly as we had earlier been obliged to cancel a call at the Morane
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