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Potez 34

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Potez 34
Role Record breaking aircraft
National origin France
Manufacturer Henry Potez
First flight 25 May 1928
Number built 1
Developed from Potez 28

The Potez 34 was a recording breaking aircraft, designed and built in France in the late 1920s. Only one was completed.

Design and development

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The Potez 34 was built by Aéroplanes Henry Potez and was derived from the Potez 28M and used the Ryan NYP's blind flying / periscope configuration.[1]

Intended to win the distance record in closed circuit and then in a straight line, the first record attempts of the Potez 34 were punctuated by tyre punctures and oil leaks. Modifications were made including the exchange of the Farman engine with a lighter Hispano-Suiza and the adoption of a metal propeller. On 18 June 1929, the French distance in closed circuit record was beaten over a course of 6,517 km (4,049 mi) flown by Lionel de Marmier and Louis Favreau, but the world record could not be broken due to a technical failure.[2] On 25 June 1929, the same crew attempted to break the distance record in a straight line, flying to the Far East, but propeller vibrations necessitated a landing in Tunisia and the failure of the attempt.

The Potez 34 was lent by the Ministere de l'Air to Joseph Le Brix, assisted by Maurice Rossi, for a flight from Paris to Saigon, with three stops at Benghazi, Basra and Allahabad. The attempt began 16 December 1929 and a breakdown occurred over Burma on the night of 22 to 23 December 1929, the aircraft crashed into the jungle but the crew parachuted to safety.[3]

Variations

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34.1
Farman Engine 12 We
34.2
Hispano-Suiza engine 12 Lbr

Users

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Armée de l'Air

Specifications

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Data from [4]

General characteristics

  • Crew: Two
  • Length: 11.50 m (37 ft 9 in)
  • Wingspan: 18.30 m (60 ft 0 in)
  • Height: 3.91 m (12 ft 10 in)
  • Wing area: 61 m2 (660 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 1,900 kg (4,189 lb)
  • Gross weight: 5,920 kg (13,051 lb)
  • Fuel capacity: 350 L (77 imp gal; 92 US gal) in wing tanks.
  • Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 12Lbr liquid cooled V-12, 450 kW (600 hp)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 242 km/h (150 mph, 131 kn) at sea level
  • Cruise speed: 150 km/h (93 mph, 81 kn)
  • Ferry range: 6,700 km (4,200 mi, 3,600 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 4,500 m (14,800 ft)

References

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  1. ^ "Civil Aircraft Register - France, identification F-AJHU, 01, declared by H. Potez on 14.09.29, deleted from records in November 1931". Goldenyears.ukf.net. p. 6. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Alexandre BAILE PIVOT DELAUNAY FAVREAU". Chezpeps.free.fr. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  3. ^ [1] [dead link]
  4. ^ "Potez 34 Hispano". Aviafrance.com. Archived from the original on 25 January 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2019.