Sud-Est Armagnac

infobox Aircraft
name = S.E.2010 Armagnac
type = Airliner
manufacturer = Sud-Est



caption = Front view of the Armagnac
designer =
first flight = April 2 1949
introduced = December 1952
retired =
produced =
number built = 8
status =
unit cost =
primary user = Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux
more users = SAGETA
developed from =
variants with their own articles =

The Sud-Est S.E.2010 Armagnac was a large French airliner of the late 1940s built by Sud-Est.

History

The Armagnac was a cantilever mid-wing monoplane with retractable tricycle landing gear and it was designed for transatlantic service. After delays to the planning because of World War II, work proceeded quickly and the first prototype flew on April 2, 1949. Production of 15 aircraft was planned for delivery to Air France. After evaluation of the prototype by Air France, the airline declined delivery in 1952 when the first production aircraft was ready. The decision to decline delivery was based on inadequate performance. Despite being designed for transatlantic service, the aircraft's range fell short of the required range for this use. Additionally, it was simply too big to be operated profitably for shorter range routes. Generally, the somewhat underpowered aircraft was proved generally uneconomical to operate.

Only eight aircraft were built and four were delivered to TAI ("Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux") (later UTA), who used them for eight months and then discarded them as unprofitable. The aircraft passed to SAGETA (the "Société Auxiliaire de Gérance et d'Exploitation de Transport Aériens") who operated seven to ferry cargo, mail and troops from Toulouse to Saigon in French Indochina. They were highly regarded in this role, but French rule in the area was almost over and they were surplus by mid-1954. Most were broken up in 1955. Two of the aircraft were used to transport the French contingent to the 1956 Olympic Games held in Melbourne; Victoria, Australia.

At the time, the Armagnac was one of the largest civil aircraft ever built. It used Pratt & Whitney R-4350-B12 Wasp Major radial engines, the largest piston engine ever placed into production for aircraft use. It also had a wider fuselage than other airliners of the time, a full 15ft 5in/4.7 m wide, which gave it a much roomier feel and greater capacity, foreshadowing the future wide-body jet airliners. Up to 160 passengers could be carried, a large number for the time. Unfortunately, the aircraft's disappointing performance and range prevented it from achieving commercial success.

Operators

; FRA
* Transports Aeriens Intercontinentaux (TAI)
* Societe Auxiliaire de Gerence st de Transport Aeriens (SAGETA)

pecifications

aircraft specification

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
crew=4 (78-160 passengers)
length main= 130 ft 0¼ in
length alt= 39,63 m
span main= 160 ft 7 in
span alt= 48.95 m
height main= 44 ft 3½ in
height alt= 13.50 m
area main= 2,536 sq²
area alt= 235,60 m²
empty weight main= 83,363 lb
empty weight alt= 37813 kg
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
max takeoff weight main= 170,858 lb
max takeoff weight alt= 77500 kg
engine (prop)=Pratt & Whitney R-4360-B13 Wasp Major
type of prop= radial piston
number of props=4
power main= 3,500 hp
power alt= 2610 kW
max speed main= 308 mph
max speed alt= 495 km/h
range main= 3,181 miles
range alt= 5120 km
ceiling main= 22,310 ft
ceiling alt= 6800 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
armament=

References

*cite book |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title= The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985)|year= |publisher= Orbis Publishing|location= |issn=

External links

ee also

aircontent
related=
similar aircraft=
Lockheed Constellation - Boeing 377 - Douglas DC-7
sequence=
lists=
* List of airliners
see also=