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

Voisin Type M

  In 1915 Gabriel Voisin decided to transform his Voisin 3 into an airplane with an underslung fuselage and landing gear in the center of Ihe body. There were several disadvantages to this design. The fuselage was not able to carry the engine internally and the propeller would be very close to the ground. Voisin constructed a metal framework identical to the one used on his 1915 triplane. The fuselage enclosed the radiator of the engine and also served as an attachment point for the bracing of the flying surfaces. The front wheel was encased in the nose of the fuselage. A pair of wheels mounted in tandem supported the airplane along the midline and two skids at the end of the wings (span of 14.92 m) served to stabilize it during the landing. The engine was a 150-hp Salmson P9. The Voisin M, constructed in July 1915, was not further developed.