Blériot-SPAD S.46
| S.46 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Role | Airliner |
| Manufacturer | Blériot |
| First flight | June 16, 1921 |
| Primary user | Franco-Roumaine |
| Number built | ca. 40 |
| Developed from | Blériot-SPAD S.33 |
The Blériot-SPAD S.46 was a small French airliner of the 1920s, developed from the Blériot-SPAD S.33. Like its predecessor, it was a conventional biplane that seated four passengers in an enclosed cabin while the pilot and occasionally a fifth passenger rode in an open cockpit. The S.46 had a redesigned wing of longer span and a far more powerful engine. The type was employed by Franco-Roumaine, which purchased 38 out of the 40 examples produced for use on their continental European routes.
In 1922 one of the S.46s, modified to use a more powerful 336 kW (451 hp) Lorraine 12E Courlis W-12 engine was redesignated S.86. In 1929 this was changed to a Hispano-Suiza engine in the same power range and redesignated S.126.
In 1925, the surviving 34 Franco-Roumaine aircraft were recalled to Blériot where they underwent remanufacture to incorporate various refinements. These refurbished aircraft were redesignated S.66. One of these aircraft was subsequently also modified to use a more powerful 336 kW (451 hp) Lorraine 12E Courlis W-12 engine and redesignated S.116.
Variants[edit]
- S.46
- Single-engined passenger airliner, powered by a single 276 kW (370 hp) Lorraine-Dietrich 12Da V-12 engine.
- S.66
- 38 remanufactured S.46s.
- S.86
- One S.46 was modified when it was fitted with the more powerful 336 kW (451 hp) Lorraine 12E Courlis W-12 engine.
- S.116
- One S.66 was modified with the more powerful 336 kW (451 hp) Renault 12Ja V-12 engine
- S.126
- The S.86 was further modified again, when it was fitted with a 336 kW (451 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Ha V-12 engine.
Operators[edit]
- Franco-Roumaine (38 aircraft)
Specifications (S.46)[edit]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1 pilot
- Capacity: 5 passengers
- Length: 9.05 m (29 ft 8 in)
- Wingspan: 12.6 m (41 ft 4 in)
- Height: 3.18 m (10 ft 5 in)
- Wing area: 47 m2 (510 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 1,417 kg (3,124 lb)
- Gross weight: 2,270 kg (5,004 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Lorraine-Dietrich 12Da V-12 water-cooled piston engine, 276 kW (370 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 214 km/h (133 mph, 116 kn)
- Range: 800 km (500 mi, 430 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 5,050 m (16,570 ft)
- Rate of climb: 2.7 m/s (530 ft/min)
See also[edit]
Related development
References[edit]
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (May 2023) |
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 163.
- World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 890 Sheet 42.
- aviafrance.com