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

Hydravions Georges Levy

  Financier George Levy established Constructions Aeronautiques J. Levy in 1914 to build seaplanes. Marcel Besson joined with Levy to help design new seaplanes.



Besson H-1

  Shortly before the war, Besson designed a triplane flying boat.
  Besson's first wartime design was also a triplane flying boat, probably based on his earlier design. It was designated the H-1 (the H may have stood for hydravion). The center of the two-bay wings was substantially longer than the upper and lower ones. The 95-hp engine was in a streamlined nacelle in the center wing. Apparently, Besson felt that this layout would give the aeroplane greater stability by keeping the center of gravity along the line of thrust. The H-1 had a large rudder with a small fin. The H-1 was probably underpowered and this may have been the reason that it was considered for use only as a trainer. However, none was ordered by the Aviation Maritime.


Besson H-1 Flying Boat with 95-hp Engine
   One built



Besson 150-hp Flying Boat

  Besson's next design was a flying boat with a Renault 150-hp engine. He retained the triplane layout with the large middle wing and the engine mounted in its center. Unlike the H-1, it was a single-bay triplane. A large radiator was mounted in front of the engine. It has been reported that the aircraft was successful in service trials but it was not selected for production. This may have been due to the fact that the F.B.A. and Donnet-Denhaut biplane flying boats were already in service; the Aviation Maritime disliked triplane designs because of their higher weight and structural complexity.
  At this time Besson joined forces with Georges Levy, who had the financial resources to develop and produce Besson's designs.


Besson H-1 Flying Boat with 150-hp Renault
   One built



Besson-Lesseps Triplane Fighter

  A Ministry of Munitions report, dated 1 May 1918, listed the Besson-Lesseps triplane as an unbuilt project. The airplane was intended as a fighter and was to have carried only a single crewman. The engine was to have been a 300-hp Hispano-Suiza. As far as can be determined, construction was never completed.


Besson-Lesseps Triplane Fighter with 300-hp Hispano-Suiza (all data provisional)
   Wing area 25 sq. m
   Loaded weight 1,100 kg; payload 110 kg
   Maximum speed: 220 km/h at 4,000 m; climb to 4,000 m in 10 minutes; endurance 2 hours



Levy-Besson "Alerte" Flying Boat

  The French naval command decided in 1917 that a newer class of seaplane was needed, able to make continuous patrols to prevent attacks from German ships or aircraft. Aircraft designed to meet this specification were designated as "Alerte" class seaplanes. They were the progenitor of today's early warning aircraft. As with most other seaplanes at the time, the aircraft were to be capable of carrying a T.S.F. wireless radio and a small bomb load. Only F.B.A. and Levy-Besson submitted aircraft to meet this category.
  Besson's design was a further refinement of his previous triplane flying boats. The main alteration was the fitting of a more powerful Hispano-Suiza engine. Initial versions of the aircraft had a 200-hp Hispano-Suiza engine; later aircraft had a 250-hp Hispano-Suiza or a Renault. The engine mounting was altered to provide more stability and there was a large radiator with a triangular outline fitted to the front of the engine. The only alteration to the triplane format was that the span of the center wing was reduced and the interplane struts had an I shape. In addition, ailerons were now fitted to both the upper and middle wings. A crew of three was carried. The hull of the flying boat had been designed by Robert Duhamel and built by the Tellier firm. The wings were built at the Victor Depujols shipyards.
  More than 100 of these aircraft were built by the Levy firm and they entered service in October 1917. However, they were used as patrol and not "Alerte" class seaplanes (almost all the "Alerte" missions were actually flown by F.B.A. Type Cs). The aircraft saw service primarily in the bombing role (anti-submarine) and could carry two 50-kg bombs as well as a single machine gun. The Levy-Besson 200-hp triplane easily exceeded the requirements for maximum speed (130 km/h) and useful load including fuel, crew and, armament (600 kg) required of the patrol/light bombing category of flying boat. However, the Aviation Maritime was dissatisfied with all triplanes because their higher weight and structural complexity made them too difficult to maneuver on the water. It was for this reason that relatively few triplanes were purchased. A single-seat fighter version was also produced.


Levy-Besson Two-Man "Alerte" Flying Boat with 200-hp Hispano-Suiza
   Span (upper) 10.90 m; length 8.40 m; wing area 33.0 sq. m
   Empty weight 850 kg; loaded weight 1,330 kg
   Maximum speed: 185 km/h; climb to 2,000 m in 11 min. 15 sec.
   Armament: two 35-kg bombs
   A total of 100 were built.



Levy-Besson 300-HP Hispano-Suiza Flying Boat

  In April 1918 Levy-Besson had a two-seat triplane under construction, to have been powered by a 300-hp Hispano-Suiza engine. Estimated data include a wing area of 56 sq. m and a military load of 500 kg. The maximum speed was projected to be 160 km/h at 2,000 meters and climb to that altitude would have taken 20 minutes. It is not known if construction on this type was ever completed.



Levy-Besson 500-HP Bugatti Flying Boat

  The French government arranged to build the 450-hp Bugatti engine under license in 1917. It was produced by the Peugeot factory and intended for use in the Morane-Saulnier AN (see below). The 16 cylinders were arranged in a U-configuration that permitted a cannon to be placed between the two rows of cylinders. This engine was selected by at least two seaplane manufacturers for use in flying boats - Larnaudi (which see) and Levy-Besson. Levy-Besson's design for a two-seat triplane was probably based on its earlier triplane designs. Morane-Saulnier had concerns about the Bugatti's reliability, and these problems were serious enough to cause it to re-engine the Type AN. It is likely that similar difficulties resulted in delays in the development of the Levy-Besson flying boat, and it is not known if construction of the prototype was ever completed.



Farman Renault Flying Boat

  Around 1918 the Farman firm built a single-engined seaplane with a hull very close in shape to the earlier Besson designs. It was a biplane and had a single 450-hp Renault engine. The hull had an ash framework covered with mahogany planking. Detachable fuel tanks with enough fuel for four hours of flight were carried in the hull. The wing was made to fold backward along the rear spar. Postwar, a development of this aircraft featuring an enclosed cabin was built. It had a single 300-hp Renault engine.


Farman Flying Boat with 450-hp Renault
   Span (upper) 18.0 m; span (lower) 14.0 m; length 14.2 m: height 3.9 m; wing area 82 sq. m
   Empty weight 1,900 kg; loaded weight 2,900m
   Maximum speed: 170 km/h; climb to 2,000 m in 15 minutes