Bloch MB.220
| Bloch MB.220 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Airliner |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: | |
| Commissioning: |
July 1937 |
| Number of pieces: |
17th |
The Bloch MB.220 was a twin-engine airliner made by the French manufacturer Société des Avions Marcel Bloch in the 1930s. She could carry up to 16 passengers. All production models entered the service of Air France and some were still in use in the 1950s. The aircraft that still existed after the Second World War were re-engineered and given the new designation MB.221 .
history
The MB.220 was created as a civilian version of the MB.210 bomber based on the Douglas DC-2 . The first flight of the prototype took place on June 11, 1936 . Delivery of the 16 series models ordered by Air France began in 1937.
construction
The MB.220 was an all-metal aircraft designed as a low- wing aircraft with a retractable tail wheel landing gear . Two double radial engines Gnôme-Rhône 14N served as drive , which were exchanged for Wright R-1820 Cyclone engines after the Second World War . After the motorization, the machines were given the new designation MB.221.
The cabin, designed for sixteen passengers, had seats with adjustable backrests and a folding table as well as a low-noise air conditioning and heating system. In addition to the two pilots, there were usually one or two flight attendants on board.
use
Air France ordered 16 aircraft of this type, which were built by SNCASO. The first five aircraft were delivered in 1937, the rest in 1938. They were used on the company's European routes. As early as September 1, 1939, Air France's material was confiscated and transport groups of three aircraft each were formed from the aircraft. Three MB 220s remained with Air France. At the end of September, heavily restricted air traffic could be resumed. The prototype F-AOHA was lost in a crash at Orange on March 3, 1940. After the armistice, air traffic had to be completely stopped on June 26, 1940. The Vichy government in the unoccupied part of France then allowed the resumption of traffic from August 10, 1940, but only in the unoccupied part and with and in Africa. The F-AQNL crashed on September 1, 1941 in Marseille-Marignane, killing the three-man crew and all twelve passengers. Due to the German occupation of southern France in November 1942, Air France's European and North African traffic had to be completely stopped.
Since Deutsche Lufthansa suffered from a significant aircraft shortage after a large part of the fleet had to be given over to the Air Force at the beginning of the war, it was dependent on chartering aircraft from other companies. In this case, the Dewoitine 338 and the MB 220 were of interest to them. Accordingly, the eleven MB 220 available were chartered on February 1, 1943. This means that in November 1942, of the 15 available aircraft, four MB 220 must have been in North Africa. The aircraft were transferred to Berlin between March and June 1943 and received German civil registrations. The aircraft were used from June 1, 1943 on the Vienna-Belgrade route. A member of Air France flew as an on-board mechanic. Air France Toulouse remained as a maintenance base. On April 16, 1944, the D-AUAK (ex F-AQNO) broke in Belgrade. The planes remained in service until August 1944, when the Allied invasion of southern France ceased to have a maintenance base. At this point in time, the DLH had seven MB 220 at its disposal, as three aircraft were in Toulouse for overhaul. These planes were destroyed at the end of the war. The MB 220 was of little importance for Lufthansa. It flew 731,000 km in scheduled traffic and thus covered around two percent of Lufthansa's total war air traffic.
In 1945 Air France still had six MB 220s available, five of which were converted to Wright Cyclone engines (1,100 hp) to increase the payload. They were given the designation MB 221. At the end of the forties, the aircraft were retired.
Technical data (MB.220)
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 3-4 |
| Passengers | 16 |
| length | 19.59 m |
| span | 22.82 m |
| height | 6.00 m |
| Empty mass | 6,160 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 9,500 kg (10,000 kg MB 221) |
| Cruising speed | 280 km / h |
| Top speed | 350 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 7500 m |
| Range | 1400 km |
| Engines | two 14-cylinder double radial engines Gnôme-Rhône 14N with 1,000 HP (735 kW) each |
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ J. Cuny: Les Bloch 220 , in: Le Trait d'Union , No. 29 May 1973, pp. 17-21
- ↑ Vital Ferry: Bref Survol de la Vie d'Air France 1939-1948 , in: Le Trait d'Union , No. 124, March 1989, pp. 21-30
- ↑ Commission Consultative the Dommages et des Reparations: Ingérences Allemandes dans les Transports et Communications , monograph TC 8: Aéronautique Civile, Paris 1947, Annexe 1
- ↑ File note flight operations management overland flight, November 19, 1943: Payloads of the Bloch 220 aircraft, Lufthansa archive in Cologne
- ^ Bruno vielle: Les Bloch 220 et Dewoitine 338 de la Deutsche Lufthansa , in: Le Trait d'Union , No. 209, May / June 2003, pp. 27-29
- ↑ DLH performance statistics 1939–1945, Lufthansa archive, Cologne
- ^ John Stroud: European Transport Aircraft , p. 60