W.Green, G.Swanborough The Complete Book of Fighters
DE MARCAY 4 France
During World War I, the SAECA Edmond de Marcay built substantial numbers of SPAD fighters under licence, and it was hardly surprising, therefore, that the first original de Marcay fighter should bear some resemblance to the SPAD S.XIII, although, in fact, there was no commonality between the aircraft. The initial design was based on the use of an eight-cylinder Liberty engine, but the difficulties experienced with this power plant led to revision of the design to take a 300 hp Hispano-Suiza 8Fb eight-cylinder water-cooled engine as the de Marcay 2 C1. An unequal-span staggered single-seat biplane with horn-balanced ailerons on the upper wing only and an armament of two synchronised 7,7-mm Vickers machine guns, the de Marcay 2 C1 was completed early in 1919. Although it was the fastest fighter participating in the 1919 Service Aeronautique contest held at Villacoublay, no production order was placed for the de Marcay 2 C1 and only one prototype was completed.
Max speed, 156 mph (252 km/h) at sea level, 144 mph (232 km/h) at 9,840 ft (3 000 m).
Time to 16,405 ft (5 000 m), 16.27 min.
Span, 30 ft 4 1/8 in (9,25 m).
Length 21 ft 8 3/5 in (6,62 m).
Wing area, 269.1 sqft (25,00 m2).
Журнал Flight
Flight, December 25, 1919.
The Paris Aero Show 1919
Edmond de Marcay has a very striking exhibit, consisting of three very pretty biplanes, all very small. The smallest of them is, perhaps, the smallest biplane ever built, and, as we have already mentioned, looks as if another 20 sq. ft. of wing surface would not do it any harm. The second machine is an extremely neat-looking single-seater with monocoque fuselage and rotary engine with a spinner over the propeller boss. The third machine, although the largest of the three, is also quite small, and is a limousine in as far as the upper third of the passenger occupies a cabin-like superstructure added to the top of the fuselage. The lower two-thirds of the passenger, or his better half, travels en fuselage ordinaire.
