Loire 102

Loire 102
Wind tunnel model of the Loire 102
Role	Mail plane flying boat
Manufacturer	Loire
First flight	12 May 1936
Retired	1938
Produced	1

The Loire 102 was a 1930s French flying boat designed as a mail plane by Loire Aviation.

Development

The Loire 102 was designed to operate as a mailplane on the South Atlantic route between West Africa and Brazil. The prototype (registered F-AOVV and named Bretagne) first flew on 12 May 1936. It was a flying boat with a two step hull on top was a superstructure with a control cabin and crew compartments. In the forward hull was a cabin for four passengers, and to the rear were holds for mail, baggage and other cargo. It had a high braced wing on top of the wing was four Hispano-Suiza 12Xirs in tandem pairs (in tractor/pusher configuration). It originally had twin vertical tail surfaces but these were replaced with a single large fin and rudder. The aircraft had severe vibration problems which could not be fixed and Bretagne was scrapped in 1938 without going into service.

Specifications

Data from Grey 1972, p. 104c

General characteristics

• Crew: 4
• Capacity: 4 passengers and cargo
• Length: 23 m (75 ft 6 in)
• Wingspan: 34 m (111 ft 7 in)
• Height: 6.95 m (22 ft 10 in)
• Wing area: 125 m² (1,350 sq ft) the struts provided another 12 m² of lifting surface
• Empty weight: 9,600 kg (21,164 lb)
• Gross weight: 18,100 kg (39,904 lb) normal loaded
• Max takeoff weight: 18,500 kg (40,786 lb)
• Powerplant: 4 × Hispano-Suiza 12Xirs water-cooled V12 engine, 540 kW (720 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 310 km/h (193 mph; 167 kn) at 3,000 m (9,845 ft)
• Cruising speed: 250 km/h (155 mph; 135 kn) at 4,000 m (13,120 ft) and 55% power
• Service ceiling: 6,000 m (19,685 ft)
• Wing loading: 135 kg/m² (28 lb/sq ft)

See also

Related lists

• List of seaplanes and flying boats

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Loire 102.

• Grey, C.G. (1972). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1938. London: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-5734-4. 
• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. 
• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing. p. 2378.