SECAN Courlis
| SUC-10 Courlis | |
|---|---|
| |
| SECAN SUC-10 Courlis at Sherburn-in-Elmet, Yorkshire, July 1951 | |
| Role | Touring cabin monoplane |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | SECAN |
| First flight | 9 May 1946 |
| Number built | 144 |
The SECAN SUC-10 Courlis (en: Curlew) was a French high-wing touring monoplane designed and built by Société d'Etudes et de Construction Aéronavales (SECAN), a branch of the automobile company Société des Usines Chaussons. The aircraft had problems with the engine installation and only 144 were built, some without engines and were scrapped.
Development[edit]
The Courlis was an all-metal high-wing cantilever monoplane with twin booms supporting a tail unit. It was powered by a 190 hp (142 kW) Mathis G8R piston engine mounted in the rear fuselage in a pusher configuration. It had a fixed tricycle landing gear and had four seats in the enclosed cabin. The prototype, registered F-WBBF, first flew on 9 May 1946.[1] Production was started and a total of 144 aircraft were completed with a number being exported to South America. Problems with the engine (insufficient power, cooling)[2] resulted in the withdrawal of the engine's type certificate and some airframes were never fitted with an engine and scrapped. The company did test fit the aircraft with a 220 hp (164 kW) Mathis engine but production was ended.
The aircraft flew for some years, owned by French private pilots, but by the mid-1950s, most had been withdrawn from service, with many being stored at Mitry-Mory airfield near Paris.
In 1961 the design was revised as the SUC-11G Super Courlis with a 240 hp (179 kW) Continental O-470M engine, but was abandoned after a prototype was built.
Variants[edit]
- SUC-10 Courlis
- Production variant with a 190hp Mathis G.8R engine, 144 built (not all flown).
- SUC-11G Super Courlis
- Improved design with a 240hp Continental O-470M engine, only one built.
Aircraft on display[edit]
One aircraft is held by the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, Le Bourget, Paris, France, but is not currently (2007) on public display.
Specifications (SUC-10 Courlis)[edit]
Data from ,[3] Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1947[4]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1 (pilot)
- Capacity: 3 passengers
- Length: 8.18 m (26 ft 10 in)
- Wingspan: 12.35 m (40 ft 6 in)
- Height: 2.68 m (8 ft 10 in)
- Wing area: 19.10 m2 (205.6 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 895 kg (1,973 lb)
- Gross weight: 1,439 kg (3,172 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 1,560 kg (3,439 lb)
- Fuel capacity: 200 L (53 US gal; 44 imp gal) in two centre-section tanks
- Powerplant: 1 × Mathis G.8R-40 air-cooled inverted-V piston engine, 149 kW (200 hp)
- Propellers: 2-bladed wooden fixed-pitch pusher propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 250 km/h (160 mph, 130 kn)
- Cruise speed: 220 km/h (140 mph, 120 kn) (70% power)
- Landing speed: 80 km/h (50 mph; 43 kn)
- Range: 1,230 km (760 mi, 660 nmi) with pilot and three passengers + luggage
- Service ceiling: 5,000 m (16,000 ft)
See also[edit]
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
References[edit]
Notes[edit]
Bibliography[edit]
- Donald, David, ed. The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. London: Orbis, 1997. p. 796. ISBN 0-7607-0592-5.
- Simpson, R.W. (1991). Airlife's General Aviation. England: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-194-X.
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.