Antoinette monoplanes were produced in series in France between 1909 and 1911.[1] They were based on the Antoinette VII,[2] which in turn was ultimately based on the Antoinette IV designed by Léon Levavasseur in 1908.[1]
| Antoinette | |
|---|---|
| Role | Experimental aircraft |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Antoinette |
| Designer | Léon Levavasseur |
| First flight | 1909 |
| Developed from | Antoinette VII |
The aircraft produced in series after the related Antoinette VIII are not easily distinguished from each other,[3] and examples are known were some aircraft were returned to the Antoinette factory for remanufacture with different sets of wings.[3] Although the earlier, numbered, Antoinette aircraft had been powered by Antoinette's own V8 engine, from October 1909 onwards, the factory began to offer the ENV V8 and a 37-kilowatt (50 hp) Gnôme rotary as options.[3] In addition to the aircraft produced in France, Albatros produced the type under license in Germany.[2]
The total number produced is unclear today.[4] Contemporary figures published in Jane's All the World's Aircraft put production at 50 examples in 1909 and 30 in 1910,[4] but other sources are far more conservative. Another comtemporary source notes the highest serial number assigned by the factory as 32 by May 1910.[4] Henri Levavasseur, the son of the designer, once stated a belief that no more than 50 had been built in total.[4]
Design
editAntoinette monoplanes were a high-wing, wire-braced design of conventional layout. The fuselage was a monocoque structure, triangular in cross-section, with the pilot sitting in an open cockpit. Power was supplied by a piston engine in the nose driving a tractor propeller.
Specifications (typical)
editData from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft 1981, p.238
General characteristics
- Crew: 1 pilot
- Length: 11.50 m (37 ft 9 in)
- Wingspan: 12.80 m (42 ft 0 in)
- Wing area: 50 m2 (540 sq ft)
- Gross weight: 520 kg (1,146 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Antoinette 8V liquid-cooled, 8-cylinder V engine, 37 kW (50 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 70 km/h (43 mph, 38 kn)
Notes
editReferences
editBibliography
edit- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft. Vol. 1. London: Aerospace Publishing. 1981.
- Munson, Kenneth (1969). Pioneer Aircraft 1903–14. London: Blandford.
- Opdycke, Leonard E. (1999). French Aircraft Before the Great War. Atglen, PA: Schiffer.}