Breguet Br 900 Louisette

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Breguet Br 900 Louisette
Role Single seat competition sailplane
National origin France
Manufacturer Société des Ateliers d'Aviation Louis Breguet (Breguet Aviation)
Designer Georges Ricard
First flight 17 June 1948
Number built 8

The Breguet Br 900 Louisette was a short-span, single-seat competition sailplane built in France in the 1940s. It set some French gliding records but was unsuccessful at the international level. Only six production aircraft were built.

France Republic with mainland in Europe and numerous oversea territories

France, officially the French Republic, is a country whose territory consists of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The metropolitan area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany to the northeast, Switzerland and Italy to the east, and Andorra and Spain to the south. The overseas territories include French Guiana in South America and several islands in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. The country's 18 integral regions span a combined area of 643,801 square kilometres (248,573 sq mi) and a total population of 67.3 million. France, a sovereign state, is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre. Other major urban areas include Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lille and Nice.

Contents

Design and development

Despite its long history of aircraft design and production, Breguet Aviation had not built a glider before the 900. After World War II they found themselves with many craftsmen who had skills in building with wood, so light aviation and unpowered aircraft offered a market opportunity. George Ricard designed a wooden, single-seat, mid-wing cantilever monoplane which, though intended for competition, had the comparatively short span of 14.35 m (47 ft 1 in). [1]

World War II 1939–1945 global war

World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.

Cantilever beam anchored at only one end

A cantilever is a rigid structural element, such as a beam or a plate, anchored at one end to a support from which it protrudes; this connection could also be perpendicular to a flat, vertical surface such as a wall. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs. When subjected to a structural load, the cantilever carries the load to the support where it is forced against by a moment and shear stress.

The wings of the Breguet 900 were straight-tapered, with squared off tips with small tip fences. They had marked dihedral. Forward of the single box spar [2] the wing was plywood covered, with fabric aft. Narrow ailerons occupied the outer halves of the wing trailing edge, with flaps of the same chord inboard. From the second prototype onwards the Breguet 900 had spoilers at about mid-chord just inboard of the ailerons. On the earliest aircraft these were of the DFS type but were later replaced by Schempp-Hirth parallel ruler action brakes. [1]

Wing tip part of an aircraft

A wing tip is the part of the wing that is most distant from the fuselage of a fixed-wing aircraft.

Wing fence

Wing fences, also known as boundary layer fences and potential fences are fixed aerodynamic devices attached to aircraft wings. Often seen on swept-wing aircraft, wing fences are flat plates fixed to the upper surfaces parallel to the airflow, typically wrapping around the leading edge. By obstructing span-wise airflow along the wing, they prevent the entire wing from stalling at once, as opposed to wingtip devices, which increase aerodynamic efficiency by seeking to recover wing vortex energy.

Plywood manufactured wood panel made from thin sheets of wood veneer

Plywood is a material manufactured from thin layers or "plies" of wood veneer that are glued together with adjacent layers having their wood grain rotated up to 90 degrees to one another. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured boards which includes medium-density fibreboard (MDF) and particle board (chipboard).

The fuselage of the Breguet 900 was plywood-covered and of oval cross-section, nearly circular aft of the wing and deepening markedly to accommodate the cockpit. The fin and rudder were also ply-covered, bearing fabric-covered control surfaces. The horn balanced rudder was broad and reached between the elevators to the bottom of the fuselage. Some production aircraft had taller vertical surfaces than those of earlier 900s. The straight-tapered horizontal surfaces folded upwards for ease of transport. Early models used an angular, multi-piece canopy, later supplanted by a smooth single piece Plexiglas one. The rear of the canopy joined the high upper fuselage line continuously. The Breguet 900 landed on a fixed monowheel undercarriage with a protective ash noseskid ahead of it. Unusually, the tow-release involved two hooks, one on either side of the fuselage just under the wing leading edge. [1]

Fuselage aircraft main body which is the primary carrier of crew, passengers, and payload

The fuselage is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, and cargo. In single-engine aircraft it will usually contain an engine, as well, although in some amphibious aircraft the single engine is mounted on a pylon attached to the fuselage, which in turn is used as a floating hull. The fuselage also serves to position control and stabilization surfaces in specific relationships to lifting surfaces, which is required for aircraft stability and maneuverability.

Fin flight control surface

A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. Fins are also used to increase surface areas for heat transfer purposes, or simply as ornamentation.

Rudder device to steer a vehicle

A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other conveyance that moves through a fluid medium. On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane. A rudder operates by redirecting the fluid past the hull (watercraft) or fuselage, thus imparting a turning or yawing motion to the craft. In basic form, a rudder is a flat plane or sheet of material attached with hinges to the craft's stern, tail, or after end. Often rudders are shaped so as to minimize hydrodynamic or aerodynamic drag. On simple watercraft, a tiller—essentially, a stick or pole acting as a lever arm—may be attached to the top of the rudder to allow it to be turned by a helmsman. In larger vessels, cables, pushrods, or hydraulics may be used to link rudders to steering wheels. In typical aircraft, the rudder is operated by pedals via mechanical linkages or hydraulics.

The first prototype flew on 17 June 1948, the second in the following March. [1] [2]

Operational history

Soon after its first flight in March 1949 the second prototype, equipped with DFS airbrakes and flaps and flown by Paul Lepanse, set a new French distance record of 470 km (292 mi). This was later broken by Roger Biagi in the second production aircraft (900S-2) with a distance of 525 km (326 mi). 900S-4, piloted by Robert Delhoume, set a record speed around a 100 km (62 mi) triangle. [1]

Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug 1933-1945 glider manufacturer

The Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug, or DFS, was formed in 1933 to centralise all gliding activity in Germany, under the directorship of Professor Georgii. It was formed by the nationalisation of the Rhön-Rossitten Gesellschaft (RRG) at Darmstadt.

The 900 competed in two World Gliding Championships without success: in 1950 the second prototype was wrecked after an airbrake failure and in 1952 900S-5 was placed 21st out of 39, limited by its short span. [1]

One restored Breguet 900S, the first production machine, remained on the French civil register in 2010. [3]

Variants

900
Two prototypes. 1st had spoilers and no flaps, 2nd DFS airbrakes and flaps.
900S
Six production aircraft, all slightly different: Schempp-Hirth airbrakes, a single piece canopy and a taller fin introduced piecemeal.

Specifications

Data from Sailplanes 1945-1965 [1]

General characteristics

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 180 km/h (112 mph; 97 kn) [2]
  • Stall speed: 40 km/h (25 mph; 22 kn) with 30° flaps [2]
  • Maximum glide ratio: best 27:1 at 78 km/h; 42 kn (48 mph) [2]
  • Rate of sink: 0.75 m/s (148 ft/min) minimum at73 km/h; 39 kn (45 mph) [2]
  • Wing loading: 23.8 kg/m2 (4.9 lb/sq ft)


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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Simons, Martin (2006). Sailplanes 1945-1965 (2nd revised ed.). Königswinter: EQIP Werbung & Verlag GmbH. pp. 59–61. ISBN   3 9807977 4 0.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Breguet Br-900" . Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  3. ↑ Partington, Dave (2010). European registers handbook 2010. Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. p. 247. ISBN   978-0-85130-425-0.
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