Designed for the South Atlantic mail route between West Africa and Brazil, the Loire 101 Bretagne (Brittany) flew for the first time on 12 May 1936. A large superstructure, on the lines of the naval vessels for which the firm was famous, was set-on top of the two-step hull and contained the control cabin and various crew compartments. Forward in the hull was a comfortable cabin for four passengers, to the rear of which were holds for mail, baggage and freight. Set on top of the high braced wing were four 537kW Hispano-Suiza 12Kbrs-1 liquid-cooled engines in tandem pairs. Vibration problems of the Loire 102 were never resolved and the flying-boat was finally scrapped in 1938.
Max take off weight: 19100 kg / 42109 lb Wingspan: 34.0 m / 111 ft 7 in
An eight-man long-range maritime reconnaissance and bombing flying-boat designed to a 1932 French navy requirement, the prototype Loire 70 made its first flight on 28 December 1933.
During tests the original three 373kW Gnome-Rhone 9Kbr radials were replaced by more powerful 9Kfr engines, and other changes included supplementing the large single fin and rudder with a pair of small auxiliary fins, elimination of the bow gun position, and relocation of the bomb-aimer/ navigator in the extreme nose.
Seven production aircraft were delivered to Escadrille E.7 at Karouba to join the prototype within a 12-month period from June 1937. From the beginning of hostilities, in September 1939, the Loire 70s patrolled the Mediterranean until three of four surviving machines were destroyed in an Italian air raid on their base on 12 June 1940. Nothing was heard subsequently of the surviving flying-boat.
Engine: 3 x Gnome-Rhone 9Kfr radial, 552kW Max take off weight: 11500 kg / 25353 lb Loaded weight: 6500 kg / 14330 lb Wingspan: 30.00 m / 98 ft 5 in Length: 19.50 m / 63 ft 12 in Height: 6.75 m / 22 ft 2 in Wing area: 136.00 sq.m / 1463.89 sq ft Max. speed: 235 km/h / 146 mph Ceiling: 4000 m / 13100 ft Range: 3000 km / 1864 miles Armament: 6 x 7.5mm machine-guns, 600kg of bombs
A three-seat parasol-wing flying-boat for liaison or training duties, the Loire 50.01 prototype first flew on 7 September 1931. After being sunk in an accident it was recovered and on 24 March 1932 was flown as an amphibian, the two main wheels retracting to a horizontal position clear of the water. In summer 1933 its 172kW Salmson 9Ab radial was replaced by a 261kW Hispano-Suiza 9Qd radial, and it was then redesignated Loire 50bis.
Six series Loire 501 amphibians, closely resembling the Loire 50bis and retaining its crew arrangement, were delivered in 1935 to various sections de servitude (general-duty flights) at French naval air stations, the last surviving Loire 501 reported at Karouba (Bizerta, Tunisia) in August 1941.
Engine: 1 x Hispano-Suiza 9Qd radial, 261kW Max take-off weight: 2150 kg / 4740 lb Empty weight: 1385 kg / 3053 lb Wingspan: 16.00 m / 52 ft 6 in Length: 11.10 m / 36 ft 5 in Height: 4.47 m / 14 ft 8 in Wing area: 39.40 sq.m / 424.10 sq ft Max. speed: 195 km/h / 121 mph Ceiling: 4850 m / 15900 ft Range: 1100 km / 684 miles
To address the inadequate visibility from the cockpit of the Loire 45, a prototype was built as the Loire 46. Compared to the 45, the wing centre section was more deeply gulled, and the wing had tapered outboard leading edges and semi-elliptical trailing edges. The engine thrust line was lowered, the cockpit was moved farther aft, the rear fuselage was deepened and all tail surfaces were enlarged. The landing gear was also revised and strengthened.
The Loire 46 was of metal construction with aluminum alloy fuselage panels, wing and tail, ribs, spars and stringers of the fuselage, wing and tail. In the left side were two portholes. One of them was intended to illuminate the dashboard, and the second (lower) provides the pilot a better view of the ground during takeoff and landing.
The wing spars were I-beam and the airfoil shaped ribs were set at an angle of 60 degrees to the front spar. The center of the wing never had ribs: it consisted of bent sheet duralumin skin. Almost all of the trailing edge of the wings were rectangular ailerons with compensation weights. They were duralumin, fabric covered. Ailerons were controlled by duralumin rods.
Guns were installed in the center section of the wing. Access to them, as well as a cartridge drive was via removable hatches at the bottom of the wing.
Rudder and elevator control was by cable, equipped with trimmers. The rudder trim was set on the ground. Elevator-section. Wheels are made of magnesium alloy, the mains were 750×150 mm
The fuel capacity was 360 liters, set in the central part of the fuselage, and oil tank capacity of 44 liters located in the central part of the fuselage to the right of the fuel.
On board was Thomson-Ducretet Th.53 a radio. The transmitting antenna was mounted on top of the fuselage behind the cockpit and the receiving antenna under the fuselage. During takeoff and landing the receiving antenna was retracted.
Loire 46 C1 n.01
Powered by an 880hp Gnome-Rhone 14Kcs engine, the Loire 46 flew on 1 September 1934. In October the Loire 46 flew SEMA tests. After SEMA evaluation of the prototype was returned to the factory for minor changes, replacing the cowling and a Oerlikon FF wing gun. Re-engined with a 930hp Gnome-Rhone 14Kfs in February 1935, the Loire 46 demonstrated excellent handling characteristics, and a contract for five pre-series aircraft. In May 1936, the company received an order for 40 fighters Loire 46, launched their production factory Nieuport. At the end of 1936 the order was increased to 60.
The first production Loire 46 C1 was flown in February 1936, deliveries commencing in the following August to the 6e Escadre of the Armee de l’Air. Armament comprised four wing-mounted 7.5mm MAC 1934 guns with 300 rounds per barrel. All new arrivals were sent to the 6th Air Force squadron.
The five pre-production examples were relinquished by the French Service and supplied to the Spanish Republican government between 5 and 7 September 1936.
The last Loire 46 was delivered in July 1937, by which time its gull-winged configuration was obsolescent and most were relegated to Armée de l’Air training schools. Only three remained on the effective first line strength of the 6th Air Force squadron at the beginning of World War II. Another four Loire 46 were in one of the flight schools. The remaining had been withdrawn into reserve.
Loire 46
The outbreak of World War II all serviceable aircraft was given to the disposal of the Polish pilots who escaped to French territory before heading to the combat units.
Those in service with the Spanish the Republican Army arrived in Spain in silver color. It is known that one of these aircraft flew in the squadron Espana. The greatest number of flights on this fighter were performed by lieutenants and A.Gvide and V.Venil. At least another four aircraft joined the international Fighter Group, commanded by the Spaniard M.Luna.
The machine guns, and ground equipment for the Loire was sent to Spain in 46 trucks, and did not reach the destination. The Spaniards fitted Vickers guns with a lower rate of fire and heavier. The highest scoring Republican pilot, A.Las Salle, made emergency landings in two Loire 46. In both cases, it was preceded by the engine stopping.
In the first months of his stay in Spain, Kovalevsky, who arrived in Spain in the first group of Soviet pilots, shot down three enemy aircraft, including on September 25, 1936 at Madrid, a Ju-52 bomber.
On September 16, 1936, a Republican fighter shot down G.Morato, landing in neutral territory. All the wreckage was collected for examination by the Republicans. On October 21, 1936 during bombing raid the fighter was damaged in a parking lot. Under different circumstances at their aerodromes four Loire 46 were also lost.
Loire 46 Engine: 1 × Gnome-Rhône 14Kfs, 694 kW (930 hp) Prop: 3 blade metal fixed pitch Gnome-Rhone 85NZ type series 1440 Wingspan: 11.83 m (38 ft 9¾ in) Wing area: 19.50 sq.m (209.9 sq ft) Length: 7.88 m (25 ft 10¼ in) Height: 4.13 m (13 ft 6⅝ in) Empty weight: 1,450 kg (3,197 lb) Loaded weight: 2,100 kg (4,630 lb) Maximum speed: 370 km/h (200 knots, 230 mph) Range: 750 km (466 miles) Service ceiling: 11,750 m (38,550 ft) Rate of climb: 12.09 m/sec (2,411.76 fpm) Climb to 3,000 m (9,840 ft): 3.3 min Armament: 4× fixed forward-firing 7.5 mm (0.295 inch) MAC 1934 machine guns Crew: 1
Built as a replacement for the Loire 43, the Loire 45 employed a basically similar airframe, but fitted with an 800hp Gnome-Rhone 14Kds 14-cylinder radial air-cooled engine, three-bladed propeller, and strengthened wing bracing struts. Armament consisted of two 20 mm cannon Oerlikon, installed in wing compartments.
Flown for the first time on 20 February 1933, the prototype was transferred to Villacoublay in June for official testing. At the end of September 1933 formal trials began at the Aircraft Testing Center (SEMA). Military pilots found that the view from the cockpit, especially forward, unsatisfactory.
During the course of trials several modifications were made to the wing roots in attempts to improve visibility from the cockpit, an 880hp Gnome-Rhone 14Kcs was installed in August 1934, and, in the following October, the vertical tail surfaces were enlarged.
After the changes the aircraft returned to SEMA for comparative testing with other fighters Training dogfights showed that even with a new engine the Loire was heavy to fly and had poor maneuvering characteristics. Armament comprised two 20mm cannon in underwing gondolas, but visibility for the pilot was deemed unacceptable.
Once again suffering fighter was sent for revision and, after re-engining with a 900hp Gnome-Rhone 14Kfs with a wooden prop, the sole prototype was relegated to the role of parachute testing as the Loire 45 LP1. It flew in this form for the first time on 18 July 1935, but by that time the military has put an end to this project.
Max take-off weight: 1785 kg Empty weight: 1340 kg Wingspan: 11.96 m / 39 ft 3 in Length: 7.48 m / 24 ft 6 in Wing area: 20.60 sq.m / 221.74 sq ft Max. speed: 370 km/h / 230 mph
In 1929 Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire initiated design of a lightweight fighter for which alternative engines were proposed. These were the 300hp Gnome-Rhone Titan II (Loire 40), the 500hp Hispano- Suiza 12Mc (Loire 41) and the 420hp Gnome-Rhone 9Asb Jupiter VII (Loire 42).
When, in 1930, the lightweight fighter concept was discarded by the Service Technique de l’Aeronautique (STAe), a new C1 (single-seat fighter) programme was initiated for which there were 10 official contenders. All of these were powered by the supercharged Hispano-Suiza 12Xbrs 12-cylinder liquid-cooled engine. As one of these contenders, the Loire 43 was a further development of the Loire 40 series of fighter projects.
Nine designers created the Loire 43 completely in metal. Even trim control surfaces was duralumin with a metal fixed pitch prop. It was a gull-winged, braced monoplane of all-metal stressed-skin construction with an armament of two synchronised 7.7mm MAC-built Vickers guns.
The Loire 43 was flown on 17 October 1932, but on 14 January 1933, and before it could undergo official evaluation, on January 14, 1932, its pilot apparently lost consciousness after climbing to 9000m and the aircraft spun into the ground.
Engine: 1 x Hispano-Suiza 12Xbrs Max take-off weight: 1725 kg Empty weight: 1245 kg / 2745 lb Wingspan: 12.00 m / 39 ft 4 in Length: 7.93 m / 26 ft 0 in Wing area: 20.60 sq.m / 221.74 sq ft Max. speed: 360 km/h / 224 mph Range: 600 km / 373 miles
Canadian aircraft designed and constructed by George Lohner, a recently-emigrated German who had arrived in Ottawa, Ontario, during the summer of 1909. Completed and tried unsuccessfully in early 1910, the No.1 was soon followed by the Lohner No.2 – a similar machine that “flew” under tow on July 21, 1910 – after which little else was heard of George Lohner.
A tandem two-seat very light aircraft, with smaller LO-120 Bausatz I version. The LO 120 S can operate as a motorglider or microlight by changing the outer portions of the wings. Comstruction is wood and fabric.
LO 120 S Engine: Hirth 2704, 40 hp Wing span: 15.80 m Wing area: 16 sq.m MAUW: 400 kg Empty weight: 235 kg Fuel capacity: 32 lt Max speed: 150 kph Cruise speed: 120 kph Minimum speed: 50 kph Climb rate: 3 m/s Certification: VZ Seats: 2 Fuel consumption: 8-10 lt/hr Price (1998): 65 900 DM Kit price (1998): 26 400 DM
All Aero 