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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 1392.PDF
14 May 1954 615 POTEZ 75 "GROUND DEFENCE VEHICLE By C. M. LAMBERT M. Jacques Noetinger, aeronautical information officer of the French equivalent of our S.B.A.C. He gave a fine demon stration at low level despite the very bumpy conditions pre vailing at the time. He took off from about 100 yards of rough grass and landed in a slightly shorter space. I thought he taxied slightly fast, but when, after he landed, I climbed into the missile-aimer's compartment for a demonstration by M. D6tr£, the Potez 75 test pilot, I was staggered at the machine's ground performance. We shot away from dis persals at almost full power and bowled across the rough undulating surface of the field at fully 60 m.p.h., zig-zagging and slithering, making full use of the magnificent hydraulic brakes. Yet the ride was smooth and the levered suspension unbelievably resilient; and the machine did not roll or lurch at all. The makers' claim that the Potez 75 can operate from really rough ground is obviously true. M. Detre dien lined up for take-off, selected one-third flap, and opened up to full power on the brakes. When unleashed the machine bounded forward and leapt off the ground in what appeared to be just over 100 yards (8 sec ground run). We climbed away very steeply to about 2,000ft. After a series of steep turns at this height M. Detre demon strated an attack on the neighbouring Renault works. He approached fast beside a row of telegraph poles and pulled steeply up to clear the roof of the factory. We then made another attack, over the brow of a hill, on a bathing estab lishment on the Seine. Sitting in the front I spotted the target first through some trees. From the attitude of the people below I felt that, had I launched a missile across the trees, they would not have known what had hit them. We then stalked up the river and "jumped" the airfield from behind a row of trees. All this M. Detre did in extremely bumpy weadier, but obviously with complete confidence in the machine's manoeuvrability. We approached to land at a steep angle, touched down next to the caravan and, making full use of the brakes, slowed down and turned off in just over 100 yards and raced back to the dispersal, weaving dexterously among parked Noratlas trans ports and Noroit amphibians. It was then my turn to fly the machine. I borrowed M. Noetinger's overalls and cloth helmet, put on a back-type parachute and earphones and climbed up the open door into the pilot's cockpit. This large side door swings gently down, restrained by a cable and spring; its structural members are fitted with a series of steps. The cockpit floor is flat and obstructed only by control column and rudder pedals. The door swung gendy up again, and when it was locked I had the sensation of being on the bridge of a small steamer. I sat down and fastened the five-point adjustable harness (the fifth strap is anchored to the seat between the legs). Seat height and rudder pedal reach are both adjustable. On the left is the throttle lever and below it are the pitch-control switch (two positions, auto 2,400 r.p.m. and fixed), the electric flap-switch and flap-position indicator dial. Forward of these is the radio control box. In front of the pilot is the standard six-instrument blind-flying panel with reflector gun-sight above for die machine gun; to the right is a standard series of engine instruments. On a console along die right-hand side of the cockpit are a single fuel cock, engine starting and stopping buttons, and fire control, the elevator trim wheel and a range of contact-breakers and switches covering bat teries, generators and a number of electrical services. M. Detre told me I could leave the pitch control in auto, ignore the fuel controls, ignore the mixture control because it was non-standard—in fact, that I merely had to push the "go handle" and work the pedals and stick. I started up and taxied out, determined to do nothing which might "bend" diis first prototype and fully aware of Although well above its operating height, the Potez 75's camouflage blends well with its background of French countryside. M. Noetinger is at the controls.
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