Sud-Est Armagnac

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S.E.2010 Armagnac

Type	Airliner
Manufacturer	Sud-Est
Maiden flight	April 2 1949
Primary users	Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux SAGETA
Number built	8

The Sud-Est S.E.2010 Armagnac was a large French airliner of the late 1940s built by Sud-Est.

1 History
2 Operators
3 Specifications
4 Reference
5 External links
6 Related content

[edit] History

The Armagnac was a cantilever mid-wing monoplane with retractable tricycle landing gear and it was designed for transatlantic service. After delays to the planning because of World War II, work proceeded quickly and the first prototype flew on April 2, 1949. Production of 15 aircraft was planned for delivery to Air France. After evaluation by Air France of the prototype the airline declined delivery in 1952 when the first production aircraft was ready, as being uneconomical to operate as the performance and range were disappointing. Only eight aircraft were built and four were were delivered to TAI (Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux) (later UTA), who used them for eight months and then discarded them as unprofitable. The aircraft passed to SAGETA (the Société Auxiliaire de Gérance et d'Exploitation de Transport Aériens) who operated seven to ferry cargo, mail and troops from Toulouse to Saigon in French Indochina. They were highly regarded in this role, but French rule in the area was almost over and they were surplus by mid-1954. All were broken up in 1955.

Front view of the Armagnac

At the time, the Armagnac was one of the largest civil aircraft ever built. It had a wider fuselage than other airliners of the time, a full 15ft 5in/4.7 m wide, which gave it a much roomier feel and greater capacity, foreshadowing the future wide-body jet airliners. Up to 160 passengers could be carried, a large number for the time. Unfortunately the aircraft's range proved inadequate for its intended transatlantic use, and for this reason Air France refused the aircraft. It was also somewhat underpowered, but otherwise is reported to have flown well. It was simply too big for the available shorter-range routes, and was therefore unprofitable.

American engines were used, the Pratt & Whitney R-4350-B12 Wasp Major radial, the largest piston engine ever placed into production for aircraft use.

[edit] Operators

France
- Transports Aeriens Intercontinentaux (TAI)
- Societe Auxiliaire de Gerence st de Transport Aerieus (SAGETA)

[edit] Specifications

General characteristics

Crew: 4 (78-160 passengers)
Length: 130 ft 0¼ in (39,63 m)
Wingspan: 160 ft 7 in (48.95 m)
Height: 44 ft 3½ in (13.50 m)
Wing area: 2,536 sq² (235,60 m²)
Empty weight: 83,363 lb (37813 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 170,858 lb (77500 kg)
Powerplant: 4× Pratt & Whitney R-4360-B13 Wasp Major radial piston, 3,500 hp (2610 kW) each