Breguet 500 Colmar

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The Breguet 500 Colmar was a 1940s French airliner designed by Breguet Aviation.^[1] Two prototypes were built during the Second World War but only one survived to fly in 1945. The prototype went on to operate as a VIP transport with the French Air Force but no others were built.^[1]^[2]

Design and development

Originally started under the designation 483T the Colmar was designed as a twin-engined airliner or VIP and staff transport based on the earlier four-engined Breguet 482 bomber.^[2] It was an all-metal mid-wing cantilever monoplane with twin fins and rudders and a retractable tailwheel landing gear. The fuselage cabin was divided into two due to the main spar, up to six passengers in the forward cabin and 17 in the rear.^[2] Work started at Montaudran on two prototypes during the German occupation which were given the designation Breguet 500 Colmar.^[2] In April 1944 one of the almost completed prototypes was destroyed by the Royal Air Force during a bombing raid on the factory.^[2]

Following the liberation of France the surviving prototype powered by two Gnome-Rhône 14R-04 / Gnome-Rhône 14R-05 radial engines first flew on 27 February 1945.^[2]^[3] Plans to put the type into production as the Breguet 510 Colmar were abandoned and after testing the sole Colmar was delivered to the French Air Force for use as a VIP transport.^[2] The Colmar was withdrawn from service in October 1947 and scrapped.

Operators

France

French Air Force

Variants

500 Colmar: Twin-engined airliner prototype, one built and one destroyed before completion.^[2]
510 Colmar: Proposed production variant with longer fuselage, not built.^[2]

Specifications (500 Colmar)

Data from ^[1]Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft

General characteristics

Capacity: 23
Length: 19.95 m (65 ft 5 in)
Wingspan: 24.10 m (79 ft 1 in)
Height: 4.80 m (15 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 66.70 m² (718.0 sq ft)
Max takeoff weight: 14,380 kg (31,702 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Gnome-Rhône 14R-04 / Gnome-Rhône 14R-05 radial piston engine, 1,200 kW (1,600 hp) each

Performance

Cruising speed: 400 km/h (249 mph; 216 kn) approx
Range: 2,000 km (1,243 mi; 1,080 nmi)

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Breguet aircraft.

Notes

↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Orbis 1985, p. 876
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Chillon et al 1980, p. 156
↑ "French Substratosphere Transport Was Hidden From Nazis", November 1948, Popular Science US magazine editors had wrongly named aircraft photo Bellatrix - rare photo in article

Bibliography

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
Chillon, J; J-P Dubois and J.Wegg (1980). French Postwar Transport Aircraft. Tonbridge, England: Air-Britain (Historian) Limited. ISBN 0-85130-078-2. Cite uses deprecated parameters (help)

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