Post WW2

Nord N-500 / Aerospatiale N 500

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The Nord 500 was a single seat, company funded research aircraft. Its mission was to evaluate principles of the Tilt Duct propulsion concept for VTOL aircraft. The enclosed cabin contained an ejection seat. Two 317hp Allison T63-A-5A (or Allison T63-A5T, or 250-C18, depending on the source) turboshaft engines were located side by side in the rear part of the fuselage. They drove two 1.5m diameter props through interconnected shafts. Moveable vanes in the propeller slipstream controlled the duct positions aerodynamically. There were no other mechanical controls for rotating the ducts. The ducts tilted, along with a short section of wing. During hover, control in roll was by differential thrust, while control in pitch was by collective tilting of the ducts. There was no provision for attitude control of the fuselage because the ducts pivoted freely. The intended top speed was 218 miles per hour.

The first prototype was completed in Spring 1967 and was used for mechanical and ground tests. The second prototype made its first tethered flight during July 1968.

Nord merged with the Aerospatiale Corporation in about 1970, and the aircraft became known as the Aerospatiale N 500. Although a more sophisticated and more powerful version was in planning, all efforts on the Nord 500 appear to have stopped by 1971.

Nord-500
Engine: 2 x Allison T-63-A-5A turboshaft, 233kW
Wingspan: 6.1m
Length: 6.6m
Height: 3.1m
Max take-off weight: 1200kg
Max speed: 350km/h

Nord N.1710

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The N.1700 was a two-place aircraft; the rotor had two blades with a stabilizer bar. The engineer Andre Bruel wanted to get rid of the cyclic control, considered too complex. The rotor head was installed on an articulated parallelogram, allowing lateral motions. The lateral control was obtained by relative displacement of the rotor head in relation to the center of gravity.

The 160hp Mathis GR7 engine directly powered a rear axial helix which blew on two flap shutter systems, some horizontal, some vertical, to control pitch and yaw. The aircraft was damaged at first, due to violent vibrations of transmission, induced by brutal clutching. Alter repairing it, they resumed power checks but, in the hands of an inexperienced pilot, it hit an obstacle.

Management decided then to abandon the N.1700 and to turn to a smaller aircraft, the 1950 single seat N.1710, built in accordance with the same principle. SNCAN asked SNCASE to send Jean Boulet to test this machine:

“The first free flight took place on July 1, 1950. After several difficult hovers (all controls had very larges forces that we tried to compensate somehow by elastic cords), I performed the first forward flight on July 22. The longitudinal control appeared to be very insufficient. Modifications were then made, above all we increased the deflection of the horizontal flap shutters. On September 20, 1950, I took off again to make a forward flight under these new circumstances, but the effect of the modifications appeared to be just the contrary of what we expected: the longitudinal control was even less efficient and moreover the yaw control had lost its efficiency (the horizontal flaps were over deflected and it is probably they stalled and banked the vertical flap shutters). I very quickly found myself flying forward more and more rapidly and banking to the left, with the controls in an extreme position. I had to end this terrible merry-go-round. I reduced the pitch to touch the ground, but the aircraft overturned immediately. I was thrown to the ground and was very lucky not to be killed by a blade. The aircraft was repaired, and we lengthened the tail to improve the efficiency of the control surfaces. In the spring of 1951, I made several more flights, then as my company sent me to Marignane.”

Nord N.1700 Norelic

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The Societe Nationale de Constructions Aeronautiques du Nord (Nord-Aviation) built its first helicopter prototype in 1947. The N.1700 was a two-place aircraft; the rotor had two blades with a stabilizer bar. The engineer Andre Bruel wanted to get rid of the cyclic control, considered too complex. The rotor head was installed on an articulated parallelogram, allowing lateral motions. The lateral control was obtained by relative displacement of the rotor head in relation to the center of gravity.

Collective pitch and also cyclic pitch were respectively controlled by the radial and the flapping movements of small auxiliary blades set at 90° to the main blades. In this helicopter, the anti-torque device consisted of a fixed-pitch airscrew placed at the end of the tail and blowing backwards on to an assembly of suitably adjusted vanes.

The 160hp Mathis GR7 engine directly powered a rear axial helix which blew on two flap shutter systems, some horizontal, some vertical, to control pitch and yaw. The aircraft was damaged at first, due to violent vibrations of transmission, induced by brutal clutching. Alter repairing it, they resumed power checks but, in the hands of an inexperienced pilot, it hit an obstacle.

Management decided then to abandon the N.1700 and to turn to a smaller aircraft, the single seat N.1710.

N.1700
Engine: 1 x Mathis GR7, 170hp
Rotor diameter: 10m
Length: 7m
Height: 3m
Gross weight: 800kg
Empty weight: 510kg
Inclined climb: 177m/min
Cruising speed: 130km/h
Absolute ceiling: 3000m
Range: 350km

Nord 1601

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Under the designation Nord 1601, Nord designed a single-seat twin turbojet-powered aircraft to investigate the aerodynamic capability and efficiency of swept wings and related high-lift devices. A cantilever mid-wing monoplane with 33° of sweepback on the wing leading edges, the N 1601 had a wing incorporating ailerons, spoilers, leading-edge slats and trailing-edge flaps. The configuration included swept tail surfaces, and there were retractable tricycle landing gear and two 1814kg thrust Rolls-Royce Derwent 5 turbojet engines in underslung wing-mounted nacelles on each side of the fuselage. The pilot was accommodated on a Martin-Baker ejector seat in a cockpit enclosed by a jettisonable canopy. The aircraft was first flown on 24 January 1950, and the research programme of the 12.46m span N 1601, which had a maximum speed of 1000km/h and a ceiling of 12000m, provided valuable design information. An all-weather fighter version of this aircraft was allocated the project number N 1600 but was not built.

Nord 1601
Engines: 2 x Rolls-Royce Derwent 5 turbojets, 1814kg
Wingspan: 12.46 m / 41 ft 11 in
Max. speed: 1000 km/h / 621 mph
Ceiling: 12000 m / 39350 ft

Nord N.1500 Griffon

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The Gerfaut lB and Gerfaut II prototypes paved the way for the N.1500 Griffon prototype of interceptor potential. After early tests of the Gerfaut la, Nord designed and built the Nord 1500-01 Griffon I research aircraft, which was intended to flight-test a combined turbojet-ramjet power unit. A delta wing aircraft with 60 degrees of sweepback on the leading edge, the N 1500 had elevons for control in pitch and roll. Thus the tail unit comprised only swept vertical surfaces, and fixed foreplanes were mounted on each side of the forward fuselage.

This flew on 20 September 1955 with a 4100kg thrust SNECMA Atar 101G21 afterburning turbojet, but was soon fitted with the planned combination powerplant comprising a 3800kg thrust Atar 101F turbojet and a Nord ramjet to produce the Griffon II and achieved Mach 1.85 in 1957. This was capable of supersonic performance on its ramjet, but was not developed into an operational type.

At the completion of initial testing the airframe was modified to accept a 3500kg thrust Atar 101E3 turbojet within the ducting of an integral ramjet of Nord design, the turbojet being located just forward of the ramjet burners. Then redesignated N 1500-02 Griffon II, it was flown first on 23 January 1957, completing more than 200 test flights before the Nord research programme ended in 1959.

27 October 1958 pilot Andre Turcat set closed circuit speed record of 1,638 kmh. On 25 February 1959 it set a 1018 mph, world speed record over a 100 km closed course and 13 October 1949 saw 1448 mph at 50,000 ft.

Some testing was carried out under USAF research contract.

Gallery

Wingspan: 26.6 ft
Length: 47.75 ft

Nord N.1402 Gerfaut / 1405 Gerfaut II

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N.1402 Gerfaut I

Nord was another protagonist of the tailless delta configuration, and on 3 August 1954 is N.1402 Gerfaut I prototype with the Atar 101D3 turbojet became the first aeroplane to exceed Mach 1 in level flight without an afterburner or a supplementary rocket motor. Gerfaut IB and Gerfaut II prototypes were also produced, and these paved the way for the N.1500 Griffon prototype of interceptor potential.

Nord N.1402 Gerfaut / 1405 Gerfaut II Article

The Gerfaut II was a development of the Gerfaut 1A, which was the first high-powered jet delta-wing aircraft to fly in France (15 January 1954), powered by a 43.15kN SNECMA Atar 101G turbojet with afterburner. The Gerfaut II first flew on 17 April 1956 and on 16 February 1957 established a number of time-to-height records from a standing start, including a climb to a height of 6,000m in 1 minute 17 seconds and to 9,000m in 1 minute 34 seconds. The Gerfauts were used to collect data for a high-speed fighter design.

Nord 1400 Noroit

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Nord 1402

Despite the decline of the seaplane’s importance after the Second World War, France still saw a limited future for the type and commissioned from the Societe Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Nord (generally known as SNCAN or Nord) a flying boat for the reconnais¬sance and air/sea rescue roles.

This was an all-metal monoplane with a gulled wing and a two ¬step hull, and had accommodation for a crew of seven, plus a roomy rear cabin with a large sliding door on the port side for rescue operations. It first flew on 6 January 1949 as the N.1400.01 Noroit prototype (F-WFDL) with 1,600-hp (1,193-kW) Gnome-Rhone 14R radials. The N.1400.02 second prototype introduced retractable tailwheel landing gear to provide an amphibious capability. Retractable tailwheel landing gear was installed on the N 1400-01 at a later date. There followed a pair of N.1401 pre-production machines with two 1,800-hp (1,342-kW) SNECMA-built Junkers Jumo inlines and annular radiators. The N 1401 Noroit (F-WFKU) was flown on 6 August 1949, the second example (F-SFKN) being flown later, and both were tested in 1950 with two Bristol Hercules radial engines. Finally there came 21 N.1402 Noroit (North-West Wind) production aircraft, the last of them delivered in 1956. Together with the two N.1401s modified to the same standard, these served with Flottille 5F.

Nord N. 1402 Noroit
Engines: two 2,100-hp (1,566-kW) SNECMA 12H.00 (Junkers Jumo 213A) inline piston
Maximum speed 230 mph (370 km/h) at 8,695 ft (2,650 m)
Initial climb rate 984 ft (300 m) per minute
Range 2,610 miles (4,200 km)
Empty weight 28,660 lb (13,000 kg)
Maximum take-off weight 45,040 lb (20,430 kg)
Wingspan 103 ft 8 in (31.60 m)
Length 72 ft 4 in (22.05 m)
Height 22 ft 5.5 in (6.85 m)
Wing area 1,076.43 sq ft (100.00 sq.m)
Armament: six 20-mm cannon in two-gun nose, dorsal, and tail positions, and bombs carried in nacelle bays plus provision for eight rockets on the hull sides.
Crew: 7

Nord 1200 / 1201 / 1203 / 1204 Norecrin

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1203/II Norécrin II

Using the same basic configuration as the Messerschmitt Bf 108, Nord developed the three-seat Nord 1200 with fixed tricycle landing gear, whose prototype flew on 15 December 1945 with a 75-kW (100-hp) Mathis G4R engine.

There were several military and civil variants, the main versions to enter civil service being the three-seat Nord 1201 Norécrin I with the 104-kW (140-hp) Renault 4Pei engine.

The four-seat Nord 1203/II Norécrin II was powered with the 101-kW (135-hp) Regnier 4L00 engine. In 1948 the Nord 1203/II was placed in production.

Nord 1203/II Norécrin II

The Nord 1203/III Norecrin III had a modified landing gear.

The Nord 1203/lV Norecrin IV had the 127-kW (170-hp) Regnier 4L02 engine.

The Nord 1203/Vl Norécrin VI had the 108-kW (145-hp) Regnier 4L14 engine, and the final Nord 1204 and the experimental Nord 1204/II models of 1959 with the 93- and 108-kW (125- and 145-hp) Continental C125 and C145 engines respectively.

A total of 380 had been built when production was suspended, being resumed in 1955 with an order for another 90.

Nord 1200
Engine: Mathis G4R, 75-kW (100-hp)
U/C: fixed

Nord 1201 Norécrin I
Engine: Renault 4Pei, 104-kW (140-hp)
Seats: 3

Nord 1203/II Norécrin II
Powerplant: l x Regnier 4L00, 101 kW (135hp)
Span: 10.22m (33ft 6.25 in)
Wing area: 410 sq.ft
Length: 7.21 m (23ft 8in)
Empty weight: 1437 lb
Max T/O weight: 1050kg (2,315Ib)
Max speed: 174 mph
Cruise speed: 137 mph at sea level
Operational range: 559 miles
ROC: 985 fpm
Seats: 4

Nord 1203/III Norecrin III

Nord 1203/lV Norecrin IV
Engine: Regnier 4L02, 127-kW (170-hp)

Nord 1203/Vl Norécrin VI
Engine: Regnier 4L14, 108-kW (145-hp)
Length: 23.163 ft / 7.06 m
Height: 9.088 ft / 2.77 m
Wingspan: 33.465 ft / 10.2 m
Wing area: 140.685 sqft / 13.07 sq.m
Max take off weight: 1730.9 lb / 785.0 kg
Weight empty: 1080.5 lb / 490.0 kg
Max. weight carried: 650.5 lb / 295.0 kg
Max. speed: 133 kts / 246 km/h
Initial climb rate: 708.66 ft/min / 3.60 m/s
Service ceiling: 16404 ft / 5000 m
Wing load: 12.3 lb/sq.ft / 60.0 kg/sq.m
Range: 486 nm / 900 km
Endurance: 5 h
Crew: 2

Nord 1203/II Norécrin II

Nord 1100 Srs / Messerschmitt 208

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1101 Noralpha

The four seat Nord 1101 Noralpha was developed by the French company SNCAN post war from the Messerschmitt 208.

Nord 1101 Ramier

Two prototype Me 208s, powered by Argus 10c engines, were built at Les Mureaux in occupied France during 1943 44, one being destroyed in an Allied bombing raid. The surviving aircraft was redesignated Nord 1100 after the Liberation, and production versions were fitted with the Renault 6Q engine as Nord 1101s.

Two hundred were built, many serving with French forces on communications, training and liaison duties.

Nord NC.856 Norvigie / SNCA du Centre NC.856

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NC.856N

The SNCA du Centre NC.856 tourer first flew on 12 March 1949, powered by a 105 hp Walter Minor 4-III, but development ceased with the liquidation of SNCA du Centre.

A second prototype, modified for use as an air observation post, was built by SNCA du Nord, and first flown on 15 March 1951.

An order for 112, designated NC.856A Norvigie, was placed for the French Army, the first production Norvigie flying on 12 March 1953.

NC.856A Norvigie

Derived from the NC.856A Norvigie, the NC.856N is a four-seat cabin monoplane. Powered by a 160 hp SNECMA-Regnier 4LO-8 engine, the NC.856N is generally similar to the three-seat NC.856H twin-float seaplane variant.

The wing is a single spar metal structure with fabric covering, and the fuselage is welded steel tube with fabric covering over light wooden formers.

Gallery

NC.856 Tourer
Engine: 105 hp Walter Minor 4-III

NC.856A Norvigie
Engine: 140 hp Regnier 4 LO.4
Wingspan: 41 ft
Wing area: 183 sq.ft
Length: 25 ft 3 in
Height: 7 ft 4.5 in
Empty weight: 1432 lb
Loaded weight: 1984 lb
Max speed: 118 mph
Cruise: 105 mph
Endurance – AOP: 1 hr
Endurance – Liaison: 3 hr
ROC: 984 fpm
Seats: 2

NC.856H
Twin floats
Seats: 3

NC.856N
Engine: 160 hp SNECMA-Regnier 4LO-8
Wing span: 41 ft
Wing area: 183 sq.ft
Length: 25 ft 3.25 in
Height: 7 ft 6 in
Empty weight: 1389 lb
Loaded weight: 2447 lb
Max speed: 127 mph
Cruise: 112 mph
ROC: 689 fpm
Ceiling: 18,040 ft
Range: 360 mi
Seats: 4