Levasseur PL.5

The Levasseur PL.5 was a carrier-based fighter produced in France in the late 1920s.^[1] It was a conventional, single-bay sesquiplane that carried a crew of two in tandem, open cockpits. Like other Levasseur naval designs of the day, it incorporated several safety features in case of ditching at sea. Apart from small floats attached directly to the undersides of the lower wing, the main units of the fixed, tailskid undercarriage could be jettisoned in flight, and the underside of the fuselage was given a boat-like shape and made watertight.

Four prototypes were evaluated by the Aéronavale in 1924, and following successful trials, an order for 20 machines was placed to equip the aircraft carrier Béarn. These entered service in 1927.^[1]

Six examples of a trainer version with a lower-powered engine were purchased as the PL.9.^[1]

Variants

• PL.5
  • prototypes with Hispano-Suiza 12Ha engine (3 built)
  • prototype with Renault 12Kd engine (1 built)
  • production version - fighter with Lorraine-Dietrich 12Eb engine (20 built)
• PL.9 - trainer version with Hispano-Suiza 8Se engine

Operators

 France

• Aéronavale
  • Escadrille 7C1

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: Three
• Length: 8.80 m (28 ft 10 in)
• Wingspan: 12.40 m (40 ft 8 in)
• Height: 3.10 m (10 ft 2 in)
• Wing area: 37.0 m² (398 ft²)
• Empty weight: 1,150 kg (2,540 lb)
• Gross weight: 1,800 kg (3,970 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Lorraine-Dietrich 12Eb, 335 kW (450 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 225 km/h (141 mph)
• Range: 800 km (500 miles)

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Villiers II

Related lists

• List of Interwar military aircraft

Notes

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Levasseur aircraft.

• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. 
• aviafrance.com