Summary
The Salmson 3 C.1 was a French World War I biplane fighter aircraft developed by Salmson which lost out in competition to the SPAD XIII and Morane-Saulnier AI.
| Sal 3 C.1 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Role | Fighter |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Salmson |
| First flight | 1917 |
| Status | Abandoned |
| Number built | 1 |
| Developed from | Salmson 2 A.2 |
Design edit
The Sal 3 C1 was a biplane of all-wood construction, originally built with a 230 hp (170 kW) Salmson 9Z, but re-engined with a 260 hp (190 kW) Salmson 9Zm in an effort to rectify deficiencies in performance.[1]
Flight tests began in late 1917, but pilots complained of poor visibility and difficulties operating the machine. Although the Salmson 3 prototype was returned to the factory for modifications, further tests were unable remedy the deficiencies sufficiently, and the French military judged the Salmson 3 to be inferior to the SPAD XIII in performance.[1]
Specifications (Sal 3 C1) edit
Data from Salmson aircraft of World War I;[2] Airwar : Salmson Sal.3[3]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 6.4 m (21 ft 0 in)
- Wingspan: 9.85 m (32 ft 4 in)
- Height: 2.48 m (8 ft 2 in)
- Wing area: 23.936 m2 (257.64 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 696.7 kg (1,536 lb)
- Gross weight: 1,026.7 kg (2,263 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Salmson 9Zm 9-cylinder water-cooled radial piston engine, 190 kW (260 hp)
- Propellers: 2-bladed Ratmanoff CUH
Performance
- Maximum speed: 215 km/h (134 mph, 116 kn) at 2,000 m (6,600 ft)
- 207 km/h (129 mph; 112 kn) at 4,000 m (13,000 ft)
- 202 km/h (126 mph; 109 kn) at 5,000 m (16,000 ft)
- 190 km/h (120 mph; 100 kn) at 6,000 m (20,000 ft)
- Cruise speed: 182 km/h (113 mph, 98 kn)
- Range: 350 km (220 mi, 190 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 7,000 m (23,000 ft)
- Time to altitude: 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in 2.73 minutes
- 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in 5.43 minutes
- 4,000 m (13,000 ft) in 13.28 minutes
- 5,000 m (16,000 ft) in 21 minutes
- 6,000 m (20,000 ft) in 34.1 minutes
Armament
- Guns: 2 x fixed, forward-firing, synchronised 7.7 mm (0.30 in) Vickers machine guns
References edit
- ^ a b Davilla, James J (1997). French aircraft of the First World War. Boulder: Flying Machines Press. pp. 446–447. ISBN 0-9637110-4-0.
- ^ Owers, Colin A.; Jon S. Guttman; James J. Davilla (2001). Salmson aircraft of World War I. Boulder, Colorado. p. 101. ISBN 1-891268-16-3.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Sal.3". airwar.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2019-03-10.