| Wibault 3 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | Single seat fighter aircraft |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Pierre Levasseur [1] |
| Designer | Michel Wibault |
| First flight | Q1, 1923 [2] |
The Wibault 3 or Wibault Wib 3 C.1 was a French parasol wing prototype fighter aircraft from the 1920s, designed for high altitude operations. Its development was abandoned after repeated materials failure in its supercharger.
The Wib 3, or Wib 3 C.1 (the C for Chasseur or fighter, 1 indicating single seat) was Wibault's response to a call from the Service Technique de l'Aéronautique (S.T.Aé, Technical Department of Aeronautics) for a high altitude fighter. This was required to have a top speed of 240 km/h (149 mph) at 7,000 metres (23,000 ft) and a service ceiling of 8,500 metres (27,900 ft); to achieve this performance at altitude, the specification called for a turbocharged engine. [2]
It was an all-metal aircraft in the contemporary sense, with a structure of duralumin but largely fabric covering. A parasol wing, with a cut-out in the trailing edge over the open cockpit, ensured the pilot a good all round view. The wing was straight edged with constant chord and was fitted with long span ailerons. It was braced to the lower fuselage on each side with a pair of parallel, faired struts to about half span. [1] The wing section to half span was moderately thick but thinned outboard, giving an overall maximum lift to drag ratio of almost 20. [1] [2]
The Wib 3 was powered by a 224 kW (300 hp ) Hispano-Suiza 8Fb upright water-cooled V-8 engine [2] with a Lamblin cylindrical radiator on each side of the fully enclosed cowling. A Rateau supercharger maintained power up to 4,600 metres (15,000 ft). [1] The fuselage was aluminium skinned from its nose to the cockpit; aft, it was fabric covered. [1] Its wire braced, almost triangular tailplane carried split elevators, the inner ends cropped to allow movement of the broad rudder. The Wib 3 had a fixed conventional undercarriage, with mainwheels on a rigid axle supported by a pair of V-struts mounted at the roots of the interplane struts. The axle was enclosed within an aerofoil shaped fairing which added 1.50 m2 (16.15 sq ft) to the wing area. [2]
On its first flight early in 1923, the Rateau turbo-supercharger was not fitted, its development having been interrupted by repeated failures caused by the difficulty of producing suitable high temperature resistant alloys. As a result, it was cancelled by the (S.T.Aé). The Wib 3 continued its flight testing until the autumn of 1923, after which the high altitude specification was withdrawn. [2]
Data from Green & Swanborough pp.595-6 [2]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
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