Levasseur PL 101
| Levasseur PL 101 | |
|---|---|
 PL 101 at the start of the "Béarn" |
|
| Type: | Carrier-based reconnaissance and bombing aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
March 1933 |
| Commissioning: |
1933 |
| Number of pieces: |
30th |
The Levasseur PL 101 is a French carrier-based multipurpose aircraft from the 1930s that was still in service in the early stages of World War II .
development
The PL 101 was developed from 1930 as a further development of the PL 10 from 1929 and differed from it by a main landing gear with a larger track width and a slightly positive arrow position of the wings. The boat-shaped underside of the hull and the two side swimmers, which should support the buoyancy during a ditching, had been retained. The landing gear was designed to be removable for such a case. The first flight of the prototype PL 101-01 took place in March 1933. The test showed a higher top speed compared to the PL 10, although the construction was 270 kg heavier. After this was completed, a series of 30 pieces was launched, which was delivered in the same and the following year. The PL 101 were assigned to the two squadrons 7 S-1 and 7 B-1 of the aircraft carrier Béarn , where they replaced the PL 10, and were flown for reconnaissance and as bombers. At the beginning of the war the pattern was completely out of date and had already been partially replaced by other types. Only five copies flew for coastal protection and, thanks to the good-natured, albeit clumsy flight characteristics, also for pilot training.
A few projects were developed on the basis of the PL 101, but only the PL 107 and PL 108 with modified hulls and glazed crew cabins reached the prototype stage.
construction
The PL 101 is a single-handled, braced double-decker in a composite construction . The hull, which is rectangular in cross-section, consists of timber framework with plywood planking and a reinforced floor in a single-stage boat shape. An impact-proof air chamber is located under the engine to increase the buoyancy. The three-person crew is accommodated in three individual cabins; of which the pilot at the front between the engine and the leading edge of the wing. The wings, which can be folded back, are made of wood with fabric covering, with the upper and lower wings having the same span. Only the upper, three-part wing is equipped with ailerons . The lower one consists of two parts on short wing stubs. The two support floats attached to the underside of the lower wing also serve as additional fuel tanks. The tail unit is of normal construction, the horizontal fin is supported on the upper and lower side with two I-struts on the fuselage, the vertical fin tapered off like a false keel towards the front . The axleless main landing gear with a large track width is rigid and can be thrown off in an emergency when landing in water to prevent overturning. For this purpose, the propeller can also be locked in a horizontal position. There is a grinding spur at the rear.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 3 |
| span | 14.20 m (folded 4.50 m) |
| length | 9.75 m |
| height | 3.80 m |
| Wing area | 56.85 m² |
| Empty mass | 1950 kg |
| Takeoff mass | normal 2980 kg maximum 3180 kg |
| drive | a water-cooled twelve-cylinder - V-type engine with two-sheet Holzluftschraube |
| Type | Hispano-Suiza 12 Lb with 650 PS (approx. 480 kW) takeoff power |
| Fuel volume | 450-650 l |
| Top speed | 220 km / h at an altitude of 1500 m |
| Marching speed | 160 km / h |
| Rate of climb | 150 m / min |
| Summit height | practically 4530 m |
| Range | normal 900 km maximum 1180 km |
| Radius of action | 480 km |
| Flight duration | 5-6.6 h |
| Armament | one rigid 7.5 mm machine gun two movable 7.5 mm machine gun 200 kg bombs with reduced armament mass |
literature
- Ulrich Israel: carrier aircraft of the second world war . In: Wolfgang Sellenthin (Ed.): Deutscher Fliegerkalender 1971 . German Military Publishing House, Berlin 1970, p. 180/181 .
- Peter All-Fernandez (ed.): Aircraft from A to Z . Volume 3: Koolhoven FK 56-Zmaj. Bernard & Graefe, Koblenz 1989, ISBN 3-7637-5906-9 , pp. 32/33 .
- Werner von Langsdorff : Handbook of aviation . Born in 1939. 2nd, unchanged edition. J. F. Lehmann, Munich 1937, p. 257 ff .
