Pierre Eich, like a lot of craftsmen mechanics, was also attracted by the adventure of aviation. In 1909 he built a monoplane, a canard type with wings equipped with ailerons. The aircraft was fitted with a French Antoinette motor of 24 hp to which Eich has a propeller of his design attached. Ground tests were conducted at the plain of Saint-Denis-Westrem at Ghent and the first attempted flight took place on June 13, 1910. The aeroplane, piloted by one Albert Ville, the mechanic who had developed the Antoinette engine, left the ground to a height of several meters, then fell heavily. The aircraft sustained minor damage, the pilot remained unhurt. Retrying June 16, he met with the same result. Finally, on June 23, Ville managed to make several flights of 70 meters at a height of two to three meters. On August 9, Pierre Eich himself was in control, but feeling that the apparatus did not exhibit sufficiently stable behaviour, decided to end his experiments. Along with the young son of the inventor, a modified aircraft would reappear June 20, 1911, on the Farman plain at Ghent. There would be made a unique and last flight.
The EFW N-20 “Aiguillon” (English: Stinger) was Switzerland’s first jet fighter aircraft. The Swiss Federal Aircraft Factory developed a design for a four-engined swept winged fighter following the end of the Second World War. The aircraft was to be powered by four turbofan engines buried in the wings, with the bypass air feeding cold-air pipes each side of the engine, being routed through a combustion chamber where additional fuel could be burned as a form of reheat, or deflected though large slots on the upper and lower wings to act as aerodynamic flaps or thrust reversers. Two engines could be shut down in flight to increase range. It was planned that the N-20 would carry its armament in a detachable weapons bay, capable of carrying large loads of cannons, rockets or bombs.
It was initially planned that the aircraft’s engines would be designed and built by the Swiss company Sulzer, but they abandoned this project in 1947, so the British Armstrong Siddeley Mamba turboprop was chosen as the basis for the N-20’s engines, with the propeller reduction gear replaced by a low pressure compressor.
A 3/5 scale wooden glider, the EFW N-20.01 was built to allow testing of novel wing shape, this flying on 17 April 1948. Although the glider was destroyed in a landing accident, it had successfully proven the design, and was followed by a similar sized powered test aircraft, the EFW N-20.02 Arbalète (Crossbow), powered by four 0.98 kN (220 lbf) Turboméca Piméné, mounted above and below the wings, this flying on 16 November 1951. It proved to have good manoeuvrability and reached a maximum speed of 750 km/h (466 mph).
The full scaled aircraft was estimated to have a maximum speed of 1,095 km (680 mph), but the initial converted Mamba, the SM-1, which was test-flown under a de Havilland Mosquito in 1948 and was the first turbofan to fly, did not generate adequate thrust. Considerable further work was required for the definitive two-shaft SM-5 engine, which was meant to generate 14.7 kN (3,300 lbf) thrust. The prototype was completed in 1952 and, fitted with four SM-1 engines, flew briefly during a taxi test on 8 April 1952, but the development of the engine and the N-20 aircraft was cancelled soon afterwards.
N-20 Powerplant: 4 × Armstrong Siddeley Mamba turbofan, 6.2 kN (1,400 lbf) thrust each Length: 12 m (41 ft) Wingspan: 12.60 m (41 ft 4 in) Height: 4 m (12 ft) Wing area: 53 m2 (570 sq ft) Gross weight: 8,709 kg (19,200 lb) Crew: 1
F+W N-20-2 Arbalète Engines: 4 x Turbomèca Piméné jet, 100 kp thrust Length: 7.53 m Span: 7.56 m Height: 2.30 m Wing area: 12.63 m² Empty weight: 1540 Kg MAUW: 1800 Kg Useful load: 190 Kg Max. speed: 720 km/h ROC: 5m / s Ceiling: 8000 m Range: 250 Km
F+W N-20.10 Aiguillon Engines: 4 x Swiss Mamba SM-01 turbofan with plenum chamber burners and thrust reversers, Thrust: 620 kp Length: 12.5 m / 41 ft 0 in Wingspan: 12.6 m / 41 ft 4 in Height: 3.13 m / 10 ft 3 in Wing area: 54.0 sq.m / 581.25 sq ft Max. speed: 1000 km/h / 621 mph T/O weight: 9000 kg Max. speed: 1000 km/h Ceiling: 14000 m
The political ambition of the East German politburo and the cancellation of the Alekseyev 150 Soviet bomber project led to the return to East Germany in 1953 of a group of German engineers and scientists deported to Russia in 1945. They were sponsored to proceed with one of the many commercial designs that they had formulated while in Russia.
One of these was the 72 seat 152 airliner, which was based on their experience with the Alekseyev 150 and would be powered by a development of the Junkers Jumo turbojet engine named Pirna 014. The design team was led by Brunolf Baade, a former Junkers designer, and the 152 descended from a bomber design started by Junkers during WW2.
The prototype had a glazed nose and an unusual undercarriage arrangement featuring a single central gear assisted by wingtip pod-mounted outriggers, and was completed in May 1958. Late availability of the Pirna engines meant the prototype first flew with Tumansky Rd-9b engines. On its second flight, while rehearsing for the Leipzig trade fair, the prototype 152 crashed due to pressure equalization problems between the multifarious tanks and the inadequate engines. The second heavily modified (152A) model (with modified tanks, conventional undercarriage and a glazed nose) flew twice more before the project was cancelled in 1961 due to national economic crises which were exacerbated by the defection of key design team members.
VEB 152 Engines: 4 x 3165kg VDL Pirna 014A-1 turbojets Max take-off weight: 46500 kg / 102515 lb Wingspan: 25.40 m / 83 ft 4 in Length: 31.30 m / 103 ft 8 in Height: 9.70 m / 32 ft 10 in Max. speed: 920 km/h / 572 mph Range: 2500 km / 1553 miles Crew: 4-5 Passengers: 58
Two M.S.406H fighters were supplied to Switzerland in September 1938 and April 1939 to serve as pattern aircraft for a licence-manufactured version. These were hybrids, mating the M.S.405 airframe with the HS 12Y31 engine of the M.S.406 and Swiss-specified instrumentation, armament and radio. Production was initiated by the Eidgenossisches Konstruktions-Werkstatte as the D-3800, the Hispano-Suiza 12Y31 engine being manufactured by Adolph Saurer AG. The drum-fed 7.5mm wing guns were replaced by belt-fed weapons, the two-pitch Chauviere propeller was supplanted by an Escher-Wyss EW-V3 controllable-pitch unit, and the original M.S.405 wing structure was retained (rather than the simplified and lighter wing of the M.S.406). A pre-series of eight D-3800s was built in 1939, and the first series aircraft was delivered in January 1940. Seventy-four series D-3800s were built, the last of these being delivered on 29 August 1940, and later, in 1942, two further aircraft were assembled from spares. During 1943, all D-3800s underwent modification of cooling and hydraulic systems to standardise with the D-3801, and were fitted with similar ejector exhausts. Employed for advanced training after withdrawal from first-line service, the last D-3800s were scrapped in 1954.
Take-off weight; 2480 kg / 5467 lb Empty weight; 1800 kg / 3968 lb Wingspan; 10.62 m / 34 ft 10 in Length; 8.17 m / 26 ft 10 in Height; 2.71 m / 8 ft 11 in Wing area; 17.10 sq.m / 184.06 sq ft Max. speed; 475 km/h / 295 mph
In 1934, the Swiss air arm, or Fliegertruppe, called upon the EKW (Eidgenossische Konstruktions Werkstätte, or Federal Construction Workshop) to design a new airplane that could combine the roles of fighter, reconnaissance and tactical sup¬port aircraft. EKW’s efforts to fulfill such a difficult requirement produced two very different blueprints. The C-35 biplane and the C-36, a mono¬plane with a metal cantilever-wing structure. The Swiss government judged the C-35 a surer prospect and the first of 80 production aircraft entered service at the end of 1937. When war broke out in Europe in September 1939, the Fliegertruppe stepped up its patrols to guard its borders against both German and Allied intruders. At the same time, the C-36 blueprints were reconsidered.
By this time EKW had become EFW (Eidgenossische Flugzeug Werke), and the team at Emmen flew the first of the new aircraft on 23 February 1939.
The C 36 had developed into a modified sub type with twin tail fins designated C-3601, powered by the same 860 hp Hispano-Suiza 12Yers engine as the C 35 but now with a variable pitch propeller. On November 30, a second. aircraft, designated C 3602, flew with a 1000 hp Saurer built 12Y 51 engine and more reasonable speed of 510 km/h (317 mph).
Following flight tests, modifications were made and an initial batch entered production as the C-3603, first flown on November 23, 1941. Ten were built, and after service evaluation a further 142 followed, serving with the Swiss air force between 1942 and 1952 in the combat role.
Ordered into production by three manufacturers—the Eidgenossische Flugzeugwerke (Federal Aircraft Factory, or EFW) at Emmen, Doflug at Alterirhein and Pilatus Allgemeine Gesellschaft at Stans, in 1942, the C-3603, as the principal operational variant was designated, entered service with the Fliegertruppe as a long-range reconnaissance and ground support plane.
Two others, designated C-3603-1 TR, were produced for training and parachute tests. In 1945 a C-3603-1 was converted for target-towing.
Further improvements followed, and in 1946 Farner-Werke at Grenchen converted a C-3603-1 into a more advanced target-tug. A long tube was fitted from the rear cockpit to eject the target sleeve above the taiiplane and between the twin fins, with a cable-cutting device available to the pilot. Twenty C-3603s were converted to this standard.
Unlike its predecessors the C 3603 had retractable landing gear, the legs folding to the rear with the wheels turning 90 degrees to lie inside the wings. Pilot and radio operator/ navigator sat under a ‘greenhouse’ canopy, the latter having a pair of 7.5 mm (0.295 in) machine guns. Two more such guns were fixed in the wings, and a 20 mm (0.79 in) Hispano fired through the propeller hub (engine was the same as the C 3602). Racks under the wings carried up to four 100 kg (220 lb) bombs or ten rocket projectiles (from 1945). By 1944 a total of 160 had been delivered and they remained in operational service until 1953.
The C-3603 was designed under the direction of EKW chief designer, J.Branger, and was just entering production when the Fliegertruppe was faced with a choice regarding engines and fuel. Until 1939, Swiss aircraft had relied on normal, high-octane petroleum fuel, which had to be imported and which might be in short supply due to the exigencies of war. If so, their flights would have to be limited to conserve existing stocks of the fuel. The alternative was to use K fuel, a wartime synthetic fuel produced at the Ems wood-processing plant. In order to maintain the level of crew training, the Swiss military decided to use the K fuel. The C-3603s then had to be modified to use the synthetic substance, and the designers were able to in¬corporate the necessary modifications into the C-3603-1 smoothly enough for production at the EFW plant of that newer variant to proceed in 1942, without a lag in overall production of the C-36 series. The C-3603-1 was powered by a 1,000-hp 12-cylinder Hispano-Suiza HS-51 12Y engine, built under license by SLM Winterthur and Adolph Saurer Allgemeine Gesellschaft in Arbon.
C-3603
Another wartime modification of the C-3603s was a change in the landing gear. After all Swiss tactical airfields were provided with paved runways, the plane’s wheel fairings, which were very unpopular with the maintenance staff, were removed. A floodlight was installed in the front portion of each undercarriage fairing to illuminate the taxiways during night flying operations.
By 1944, 144 C-3603s had been built, and six C-3603-ls would be added between 1947 and 1948. Stored components then were assembled into 11 complete aircraft, given 1,250-hp / 933kW Saurer YS-2 engines and designated C-3604s. On August 21, 1944 the faster C 3604, with three forward firing cannon, made its first flight and was rewarded by an order for 100. The type entering service in 1947-48. Spares produced for the C-3603 and not used enabled a further six C-3603-1 s to be assembled in 1948.
But within a year negotiations had been opened with de Havilland for manufacture of Vampire jets, and only 13 of the C 3604 model were built. All these machines stayed on Flugwaffe strength.
C-3604
In 1945, a C-3603-1 was converted into a Sehlepp, or target tug, and in 1946, the Farner Werke at Grenchen a more advanced version was evolved and fitted to 20 other aircraft within a year. During the early 1950s a requirement for an aircraft to tow illuminated targets at night was met with the conversion of a C-3603-1, and this machine remained in service until replaced by the C-3605 in 1972. By 1953, all 60 surviving aircraft had been converted to that role.
Further conversions of 40 C-3603-1 s to target-tugs began in 1953, while another aircraft was fitted beneath one wing with a winch built by ML Aviation in the UK for high-speed towing, and a ballast tank beneath the other wing. In the same year, 20 more C-3603-1s were converted by the military at Dubendorf for catastrophe relief using underwing supply containers.
In the mid-1960s, Jean-Pierre Weibel, in charge of the EFW’s Structures Department, proposed that a new engine be adapted to the existing airframes when the Hispano-Suiza engines of the 40 C-3603-1 conversions began to wear out. The choice of a suitable engine was an 1,150-hp Avco Lycoming T53-L-7 turbo¬prop. In September 1967 the idea was approved and work began on the conversion, which was to involve the minimum possible amount of alteration to the airframe. At 555 pounds, the T53-L-7 was less than half the weight of the original piston engine. That made it necessary to add an additional section to the nose to compensate for a serious change in the aircraft’s center of gravity. The 10-foot-9-inch-diameter Escher-Wyss V7 propeller was replaced by a Hamilton Standard 53C51 with a diameter of 9 feet 9.5 inches. New wheels with disc brakes updated the landing gear. The layout and instrumentation of the pilot’s cockpit was modernized, while a hydraulic drive supplemented the mechanical impeller for the SZW-52 winch in the rear cockpit. A third, central, fin was added.
C-3605
The overall result was a fuselage—now 39 feet 5¾ inches long— that seemed to extend as far forward of the wing as behind it. More startling than the airplane’s appearance, however, was its performance when the first prototype (actually, a modification of the 102nd production C-3603), serial No. C-502, began flight testing on August 19, 1968. Its handling qualities were excellent, and pilots also praised its short takeoff and landing capabilities (a takeoff run of 336 feet to reach an altitude of 50 feet, and 564 feet to land from an altitude of 50 feet). An impressive rate of climb (2,407 feet per minute) resulted from its new turboprop engine.
All of those capabilities were especially appreciated for the low-level flying over mountainous terrain that the target tugs would be called upon to perform. Maxi¬mum speed was 268 mph at 10,000 feet, with an economy cruising speed of 217 mph. Empty weight was 5,806 pounds, while the normal loaded weight was 7,275 pounds. By December 1968, when the plane underwent military evaluation, the only further modification deemed necessary was the addition of a small central tail fin to improve stability.
The cost-effectiveness of the program exceeded all expectations, although it was not until 1971 that the Swiss mili¬tary ordered the EFW at Emmen to begin conversion work on the next five exam¬ples of what was by then designated the C-3605. A budget of 30 million Swiss francs was delegated to pay for a total of 23 converted aircraft – an order completed by January 1973. At the same time, the target tugs also underwent a change in color scheme to identify them to the anti¬aircraft crews—from red striping to broad diagonal black and yellow bands over the wings, horizontal stabilizers and forward part of the fuselage.
All 23 C-3605s were still flying late as 1978. The C-3605s began experiencing a disturbing recurrence of forced landings in the mid-1980s, which were generally diagnosed as being due to a loss of torque and overall power. The turboprop engines had worn out before the airframes, and spare parts for them were running low. Rather than re-engining the aging veteran yet again, the Swiss judged it more economical to replace it with a new, purpose-built aircraft, equipped with the latest model turboprop engine and a fixed target-towing installation – the Pilatus PC-9. In April 1987, C-3605s flew their last missions.
C-3603 Engine: Saurer/Hispano-Suiza 12Y-51 Take-off weight; 3590 kg / 7915 lb Empty weight; 2315 kg / 5104 lb Max load: 3,402 lb Wingspan; 13.7 m / 44 ft 11 in Length; 10.2 m / 33 ft 6 in Height; 4.1 m / 13 ft 5 in Wing area; 28.7 sq.m / 308.92 sq ft Max. Speed; 477 km/h / 296 mph Cruise speed; 430 km/h / 267 mph Ceiling; 10000 m / 32800 ft Range w/max.fuel; 680 km / 423 miles Armament; 1 x 20mm cannon, 4 x 7.5mm machine-guns, 400kg of bombs Crew; 2
C-3603-1 Engine: Hispano-Suiza HS-51 12Y 12-cylinder, 1,000-hp. Max speed: 246 mph. ROC: 34 feet per second. Ceiling: 28,540 ft. Endurance: 2 hr. Range: 422 miles.
C-3604 Engine: Saurer YS-2 / Hispano-Suiza 12Y-52. 1,250-hp. Wingspan: 45 ft 1 in Length: 33 ft 7.5 in Height: 11 ft Wing area: 307.8 sq.ft Empty weight: 6260 lb Loaded weight: 9480 lb Max speed at 14,764 ft: 348 mph Max speed SL: 298 mph Cruise: 226 mph at 15,750 ft Seats: 2 Armament: 3 x 20mm cann, 4 x 7.5mm mg
C-3605 Engine; 1 x Avco Lycoming T53-L-7, 820kW / 1150-hp Max take-off weight; 3716 kg / 8192 lb Empty weight; 2634 kg / 5807 lb Wingspan; 13.74 m / 45 ft 1 in Length; 12.03 m / 39 ft 6 in Height; 4.05 m / 13 ft 3 in Wing area; 28.7 sq.m / 308.92 sq ft Max. Speed; 432 km/h / 268 mph at 10,000 ft Cruise speed; 350 km/h / 217 mph Ceiling; 10000 m / 32800 ft ROC: 2,407 fpm Range w/max fuel; 980 km / 609 miles TO dist to 50ft: 336 ft. Ldg dist from 50 ft: 564 ft. Crew; 2
In 1934, the Swiss air arm, or Fliegertruppe, called upon the EKW (Eidgenossische Konstruktions Werkstätte, or Federal Construction Workshop) to design a new airplane that could combine the roles of fighter, reconnaissance and tactical support aircraft. EKW’s efforts to fulfill such a difficult requirement produced two very different blueprints. One, the C-35, was a sturdy but conventional two-seater biplane first flown in 1935. The other was the C-36. The Swiss government judged the C-35 a surer prospect for swift development. The biplane was fast becoming outmoded, and within 3½ years the Swiss government accepted the fact it had probably ordered the wrong aircraft. Two prototypes and 88 production C 35s were built, the first in 1936 and the last eight being assembled from spares in 1942. Of similar mixed construction to the C.V E, the C 35 was powered by the 860 hp Saurer built Hispano Suiza 12Ycrs, with a 20 mm (0.79in) cannon firing through the hub of the three blade fixed pitch propeller. Two 7.5 mm (0.295 in) machine guns were fixed under the lower wing, and a third was aimed by the observer after folding forward the canopy over the rear cockpit. A bomb load of six 100kg (220 1b) bombs could be carried. The C 35 served until 1949.
Span: 13.0 m (42 ft 712 in) Length: 9.3 m (30 ft 4 in) Gross weight: 2500 kg (5512 lb) Maximum speed: 340 km/h (211 mph)
