А.Шепс Самолеты Первой мировой войны. Страны Антанты

Первая машина Sаl.1 A3 - экспериментальный двухстоечный трехместный разведчик с оригинальной двигательной установкой. Двигатель "Сальмсон" (245 л. с.) устанавливался в плоскости фюзеляжа и имел одинаковые носок и хвостовик. От них через валы и конические шестеренки вращение передавалось на два винта, установленных на Х-образных стойках. Фюзеляж был поднят на стойках над нижним крылом. Наблюдатель находился перед двигателем, а кабина пилота и стрелка - за двигателем. В остальном это был обычный биплан цельнодеревянной конструкции. Была выпущена небольшая серия Sаl.1 A3 для французских ВВС. Два экземпляра были переданы и России. Они были собраны, облетаны, но боевого применения не нашли.
  
  
ЛЕТНО-ТЕХНИЧЕСКИЕ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИКИ
  
   Sal.1 A3 1917г.
   Размах, м 17,0
   Длина, м 10,5
   Площадь крыла, кв.м 74,0
   Сухой вес, кг 1550
   Взлетный вес, кг 2070
   Двигатель: "Сальмсон"
   мощность, л. с. 245
   Скорость максимальная, км/ч 135
   Продолжительность полета, час,мин 2,0
   Время набора высоты, мин/м 19/3000
   Дальность полета, км 250
   Потолок, м 3900
   Экипаж, чел. 3
   Вооружение 2 пулемета

В.Шавров История конструкций самолетов в СССР до 1938 г.

"Сальмсон" двухвинтовой (тип Sal-1-A3) - своеобразный самолет, двухстоечный биплан экспериментальной схемы. Двигатель "Сальмсон" в 245 л. с. был установлен в фюзеляже плоскостью своих цилиндров в плоскости симметрии самолета. Коленчатый вал имел одинаковые носок и хвостовик, от которых шли передаточные валы с коническими шестернями к двум винтам, установленным между крыльями на Х-образных стойках. Самолет был получен в 1917 г. Два экземпляра его были собраны, облетаны, но без успеха.


Самолет||
Год выпуска||1917
Двигатель , марка||
   мощность, л. с.||245
Длина самолета, м||10,5
Размах крыла, м||17
Площадь крыла, м2||74
Масса пустого, кг||1550
Масса топлива+ масла, кг||160
Масса полной нагрузки, кг||520
Полетная масса, кг||2070
Удельная нагрузка на крыло, кг/м2||28
Удельная нагрузка на мощность, кг/лс||8,45
Весовая отдача,%||25
Скорость максимальная у земли, км/ч||135
Время набора высоты 3000м, мин||19
Потолок практический, м||3900
Продолжительность полета, ч.||2

J.Davilla, A.Soltan French Aircraft of the First World War (Flying Machines)

Societe de Moteurs Salmson


Salmson-Moineau S.M.1

  The Societe de Moteurs Salmson specialized in producing aircraft engines, many of them water-cooled radials. In 1916 the firm produced an aircraft designed by the famous prewar aviator Rene Moineau and intended to meet the A3 requirement for a three-seat reconnaissance airplane. Moineau selected the 240-hp Salmson 9A2c engine for his design. However, this engine was bulky and Moineau feared that mounting it in the nose would result in excessive drag. His solution was to mount the engine transversely within the airframe. A complicated series of gearboxes and shafts transmitted the output of the engine to two propellers mounted inboard of each wing on X-shaped struts with conical supports. The gearing also insured that the propellers turned in opposite directions to minimize torque. The fuselage was mounted between the two wings. The radiators were mounted in the nose and provided a boxy pulpit for the gunner. A prominent exhaust stack was placed on the starboard side of the fuselage and extended from the engine bay to the top wing. The massive undercarriage had a tricycle layout and was made of steel tubing. This arrangement is believed to have contributed to a number of accidents. When pilots attempted to land at too steep an angle the aircraft would either flip over when the nose gear collapsed, or it would cause the airplane to bounce into the air.
  The pilot was located beneath a cutout in the upper wing where his field of view was severely limited. The rear gunner sat just behind the upper wing and had an excellent field of fire. Both the front and rear gunner had APX 37-mm cannons. There was a triangular fin and rudder on the prototype. On later aircraft the rudder was in the form of a parallelogram. The wings were made of wood and the upper wing was longer than the lower. The wings were wire braced and had square tips. Ailerons were fitted to the top wing only.
  The new aircraft was given the company designation Salmson-Moineau A92H. The A9 indicated the Salmson A9 engine while the 2H denoted two propellers. The aircraft was tested at Villacoublay in 1916, and it was successful enough to warrant production. It was given the STAe designation S.M.1 A3. When the aircraft designation system was changed on 1 May, 1918, the S.M.1 was redesignated the Sal.1 A3. A total of 100 S.M.1s had been ordered by 11 November 1916. (Based on the tail code numbering sequence it appears that at least 155 may have been built.) However, its performance was clearly inferior to the Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter and it was even suggested that the type be flown as a two-seater to improve its performance.
  The S.M.1 flight manual instructed the pilot to begin with a takeoff into the wind until there was sufficient airspeed for rudder control. At 30 km/h the S.M.1 would lift off its tailskid and the aircraft would be rolling on its main landing gear. The pilot was warned never to allow the aircraft to roll on the nose landing gear as this was only to be used to prevent the aircraft from tipping over. Once the aircraft was level the flow of fuel would ensure sufficient acceleration of the aircraft to lift off horizontally; a steep angle of attack was not needed for take-off. When flying speed was attained the tail lifted 2 degrees to the horizon at 1,500 m altitude. The S.M.1 was to be landed lightly on the main wheels and then allowed to slide back onto the tail skid.
  While there were easily enough S.M.1s built to equip an entire escadrille, it was decided to send small numbers to front-line escadrilles. It was common practice to provide each army cooperation escadrille with a few long-range reconnaissance aircraft of the A3 classification. The S.M.1s were provided to F 2, F 19, F 41, F 45, F 58, F 63, F 71, F 72, C 219, F 223, and AR 289 in mid-1917. By August there were 32 Salmson S.M.1s in escadrille service. SM 229 had ten on strength in early 1917; it combined with C106 in early 1917. Some documents refer to the resulting unit as SM 106.
  The S.M.1s caused great difficulties in front-line service. As mentioned above, accidents were frequently caused by the unusual landing gear layout. The complex engine transmission resulted in numerous breakdowns, and the aircraft was probably a mechanic's nightmare. It is also likely that the numerous drag-producing struts and supports seriously restricted the S.M.1's performance.
  The S.M.1s were found to be of limited use in operational service, and those that survived were sent back to the aircraft parks. Despite their plane's flaws, some units were able to carry out their missions. A 10th Armee memo noted that the commander of the 37th C.A. had praised the crews of SM 106 for the valuable reconnaissance and photographic missions that were flown. At least one machine, belonging to AR 289, was still in use in 1918. This S.M.1 flew reconnaissance in support of the 66e Division des Chasseurs a Pied until late 1918.
  The Imperial Russian Air Service received two S.M.1s in 1917. The Russians also found the S.M.1s to be of little use and they were quickly withdrawn.
  There are reports of at least one S.M.1 being fitted with a 160-hp Salmson P 9 engine. However, the type was not developed further.


S.M.1 Three-Seat Long-Range Reconnaissance Aircraft with 240-hp Salmson 9A2c
   Span 17.475 m; length 10.0 m; height 3.80 m; wing area 70.0 sq. m
   Loaded weight 2,050 kg; payload 370 kg
   Endurance 3 hours
   At least 155 built

Jane's All The World Aircraft 1919

M. Louis Moineau, the famous pilot of Breguets before the War, turned constructor in 1915.
   In 1916-17 he produced the curious biplane illustrated herewith.
   It is driven by a Salmson-Canton-Unne engine, placed with its shaft thwart-wise of the fuselage. Each end of the shaft drives a cross-shaft to a bevel gear at the intersection of the cross-bracing of the wings, so that the engine drives two airscrews, one on each side of the machine.
   A gunner sits in front of the engine, and has a very big arc of fire. Another gunner sits behind the pilot.
   The machine flew, but was never put into production.

H.Nowarra, G.Duval Russian Civil and Military Aircraft 1884-1969

A far less welcome French aircraft to be received was the Salmson-Moineau SM 1, only three of which were ever built. The engines of this aircraft, two 150 h.p. Salmson radials, were mounted between the longerons at the forward end of the fuselage, with the propeller shafts at 90 degrees to the fore-and-aft axis and extended into the wing bays on either side, where strut-braced gearboxes converted the drive forward to tractor propellers. While this system of propulsion had its advantages in decreased drag, the disadvantages were legion, the SM 1s spending most of their time on the ground with fractured drive-shafts, stripped gearboxes and engine failure. The French rejected the type, and a Salmson agent sold all three examples to Russia!