
Описание
Страна: Франция
Год: 1917
Единственный экземпляр
J.Davilla, A.Soltan French Aircraft of the First World War (Flying Machines)
Societe d'Etudes Aeronautiques (SEA)
SEA 1
The Societe d'Etudes Aeronautiques (SEA) was formed in 1916 by Marcel Bloch and Henry Potez at the former Antoinette factory at Suresnes. While producing SPAD 7s under license, Bloch and Potez initiated the design of a two-seat reconnaissance aircraft intended to replace the now obsolescent Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter.
Work on this new aircraft was done in the evening after the production of SPAD 7s had finished. Louis Coroller played a major role in producing the prototype. As the team's experience grew, the airframe gradually took shape. The aircraft was powered by a newly-designed 200-hp Clerget rotary engine and was a conventional tractor biplane with two-bay, negatively-staggered wings. It appears to have had least one machine gun synchronized to fire through the propeller. The Clerget engine proved unsatisfactory and this resulted in test flights of only a few minutes' duration. It was soon discovered that because of the unsatisfactory engine the SEA 1 was no better than the Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter it was intended to replace, and further development was abandoned.
- J.Davilla, A.Soltan French Aircraft of the First World War (Flying Machines)
Фотографии
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J.Davilla, A.Soltan - French Aircraft of the First World War /Flying Machines/
Although of poor quality, this is one of the few photographs available of the little-known SEA 1.
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J.Davilla, A.Soltan - French Aircraft of the First World War /Flying Machines/
SEA 1 artist's impression.