FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1956
1956 - 0171.PDF
10 February 1956 ' Typical of C.A.S.A.'s present transport designs is the CJL SA 202 Halcon, twenty of which are at present being built in the company's main factory at Getate, near Madrid. MADE IN SPAIN : : Part 2—The Work of C.A.S.A. % By C. M. LAMBERT HOLDING pride of place as the oldest and largest aircraftconstruction company in Spain, C.A.S.A. (ConstruccionesAeronauticas, S.A.) has, since its foundation in 1923, built a wide variety of aircraft, both of its own design and under licencefrom abroad. During 1923 the first factory, with a floor area of 21,520 sq ft, was built at Getafe, about 12 miles south of Madridon the road to Toledo, and close to the small sugar-loaf hill which is said to mark the exact centre of Spain. In the succeeding yearsthree other factories were set up, one in Cadiz, one in Madrid itself and one at Seville. The main offices are at Rey Francisco,4, Madrid. In 1954 the floor areas of the factories were: Getafe, 430,560 sq ft; Seville, 290,630 sq ft; Cadiz, 118,400 sq ft; andMadrid, 129,170 sq ft. An extension programme, particularly at Getafe, has since led to a sizeable increase in floor area. Mainly concerned with engineering work, the factory in Madriditself produces the more complex parts for the other three factories. The Cadiz works, being on the coast, has traditionally beenconnected with the construction of flying-boats and seaplanes but is at present completing an order for Biicker Jungmanns—thewell-known biplane trainers of pre-war German design. A large number of these, and of the Jungmeister single-seater, have beendelivered to the Spanish Air Force. Some small sub-assemblies of the C.A.S.A. 2.111 such as rudders, are also produced at Cadiz.At one time or another C.A.S.A. has produced under foreign licence the Breguet 19, the Vickers Vildebeest, the Dornier Wai,the Junkers Ju52, the Heinkel Helll, and Biicker Jungmeisters and Jungmanns. I visited the factories in Seville and Getafe and, at the first-named, was most hospitably received by Don Jose Maria Cervera y Cervera, the works director. The factory was built in 1940 anda contract was then placed for 200 Heinkel Hell Is to be produced under German licence and powered by Junkers Jumo 211-Fengines of 1,340 h.p. The aircraft were given the Spanish designa- tion C.A.S.A. 2.111. Four versions have been built, a day bomber,a reconnaissance bomber, a trainer and a command transport; and a maritime patrol conversion is at present being studied. Majorcomponents for all the 200 aircraft are now complete and 130 of them were delivered to the Spanish Air Force some time ago. Butthe source of German engines dried up in about 1953 and at about that time one C.A.S.A. 2.111 was converted to take Rolls-RoyceMerlins. The modification was difficult but was successfully completed, and the Merlin has been adopted as the standardpowerplant for this aircraft. Airframes which had been awaiting engines are now being taken out of store in Seville, modified andcompleted with Merlins. The C.A.S.A. factory is also carrying out major repair and overhaul of the Jumo-powered aircraft The Heinkel Helll, built under licence at Seville as the C.A.S.A. 2.111, is still coming off the production lines. The Junkers Jumo 211-F engines are now being replaced by Rolls-Royce Merlins, two of which are seen here in an aircraft awaiting flight tests outside the factory. The airscrew spinners have not yet been attached. 169 already delivered to the Service and these will, at a later date,be converted to take Merlins. In addition, the Seville factory is making the outer wings of theC.A.S.A. 201 Alcotan and the C.A.S.A. 202 Halc6n for the Getafe factory, and also doing some stamping work for a motor-cycleconcern. The factory is the most modern of the four C.A.S.A. units and the main building is one long hall, into which preparedmaterials are brought in at one end, complete aircraft leaving through the 200ft-wide doors at the other. After engine runs ina yard outside they are towed along a short track to Tablada airfield for flight tests. Everything for the C.A.S.A. 2.111 except radio, instruments,tyres and a few other parts are produced in the factory itself. Undercarriages, hydraulic equipment, brakes and even rivets andnuts and bolts are made and tested on die spot. It was most interesting to see these German aircraft still in fullproduction; and later, when I was able to fly a Jumo-powered C.A.S.A. 2.111 trainer myself, I was much impressed with itsexcellent handling qualities. It is worthwhile recording some of die features of die aircraft. Its span and length are 74ft and 54ft.It has a wing area of 930 sq ft and a maximum wing loading of 33 Ib/sq ft. Empty and maximum weights are 18,500 lb and31,000 lb and the bomb load is 4,430 lb; a crew of five is carried. The maximum speed is 272 m.p.h., cruising speed 224 m.p.h. andservice ceiling 22,000ft. In the bomber version die pilot sits on the port side and has hisengine and utilities controls on a series of sloping consoles to his left. The control column is in the middle of the floor and thespectacle wheel is carried over to die left on a swinging arm so that its height can be adjusted to suit the pilot; or the whole wheelcan be swung over to the starboard side for the use of a co-pilot. The bomb-aimer /front gunner has a couch on the starboardside of the nose and a 12.7 mm Breda machine-gun mounted in die fuselage nose-cap, which is offset to starboard. The forwardpart of the bed of the couch can be slid back to expose the bomb-sight and aiming window beneath it. Bombs are stowedupright in eight containers just behind the pilot's compartment and each container can be emptied through its own pair of doors.Ventral and mid-upper gun blisters carry 8 mm machine-guns. Radio operator and gunners use a number of folding seats distri-buted around the after fuselage behind the bomb chamber. In the reconnaissance/bomber version the four starboard bombchambers are replaced by a single universal vertical camera mount whose hatch is covered by sliding metal panels. The machine isotherwise identical with die bomber. The third variant is the pilot trainer. In this case all eight
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
