The Blériot-SPAD S.34 was a French twin-seat, single-engine biplane flight training aircraft designed in 1920. The side-by-side seating arrangement was unique for its time. 150 aircraft were built, 125 for the French Air Force, who used them until 1936.
| S.34 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Trainer aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Blériot |
| Designer | |
| Primary users | French Air Force |
| Number built | 150 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1920 |
| First flight | 16 July 1920 |
| Retired | 1936 |
The Finnish Air Force purchased two S.34s in 1921. Due to inadequate maintenance they did not last long and were withdrawn from service by 1925.
Variants
edit- Bleriot-SPAD S.34-1
- First Bleriot-SPAD S.34 prototype.
- Bleriot-SPAD S.34-2
- Second Bleriot-SPAD S.34 prototype.
- Bleriot-SPAD S.34-3
- Third Bleriot-SPAD S.34 prototype.
- Bleriot-SPAD S.34
- Two-seat primary trainer biplane.
- Bleriot-SPAD S.34 bis
- Improved variant, powered by a 130-hp (97-kW) Clêrget 9B rotary piston engine. Three were built for the Aéronavale.
Operators
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- Aéronautique Militaire - (119 aircraft)
- Aéronavale - (6 S.34-bis aircraft)
- Blériot flying school - (16 aircraft)
- (6 aircraft)
- Finnish Air Force - (2 aircraft)
- Bolivian Air Force (1 aircraft)
Specification (S.34)
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Data from Les Ailes, August 1921[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: One instructor, one pupil
- Length: 6.50 m (21 ft 4 in)
- Upper wingspan: 8.12 m (26 ft 8 in)
- Lower wingspan: 7.40 m (24 ft 3 in)
- Height: 2.36 m (7 ft 9 in)
- Wing area: 21 m2 (230 sq ft)
- Airfoil: Albatrs RA.54
- Empty weight: 440 kg (970 lb)
- Gross weight: 690 kg (1,521 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Le Rhône 9C 9-cylinder rotary engine, 60 kW (80 hp)
- Propellers: 2-bladed
Performance
- Maximum speed: 136 km/h (85 mph, 73 kn)
- Service ceiling: 4,000 m (13,000 ft)
- Time to altitude: 17 min 7 s to 2,000 m (6,600 ft)
- Landing speed: 40 km/s (89,000 mph; 78,000 kn)
References
edit- ^ Lemonon, E.-H. (18 August 1921). "La biplaces Spad-Herbemont". Les Ailes (938): 2–3.
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
- Keskinen, Kalevi; Partonen, Kyösti and Stenman, Kari: Suomen Ilmavoimat I 1918-27, 2005. ISBN 952-99432-2-9.
- Keskinen, Kalevi; Stenman, Kari and Niska, Klaus: Suomen ilmavoimien lentokoneet 1918-1939, Tietoteos, 1976.
- Hirschauer, Louis; Dollfus, Charles, eds. (1921). L'Année Aéronautique: 1920-1921. Paris: Dunod. p. 35.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Blériot-SPAD S.34.
- "1921 Paris Air Salon: SPAD 34" FLIGHT, November 24, 1921, page 778 for photo and page 779 for description