The Salmson-Moineau S.M.1 A3 , (later re-designated Salmson Sal. 1 A3 ), was a French armed three-seat biplane long range reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War designed by René Moineau for the Salmson company.
12-522: The S.M.1 A3 was developed from 1915 to meet the French military A3 specification, which called for a three-seat long range reconnaissance aircraft with strong defensive armament. The S.M.1 was unconventional, powered by a single Salmson 9A liquid-cooled radial engine mounted in the fuselage powering two airscrews mounted between the wings with a system of gears and drive shafts. This layout was chosen by Moineau to minimise drag. The twin airscrew layout allowed
24-603: A further seven Improved Navyplane Type A.I followed, these having a stronger airframe, folding wings and an 8 ft (2.4 m) greater wingspan, but retaining the Salmson engine. A further four aircraft were built powered by a 225 hp (168 kW) Sunbeam engine, known as the Improved Navyplane Type A.II . The Navyplanes were used for maritime reconnaissance missions over the North Sea, while four of
36-520: A series of pioneering aero-engines : unusually combining water-cooling with the radial arrangement of their cylinders . Henri Salmson, a manufacturer of water pumps, was engaged by Georges Marius Henri-Georges Canton and Pierre Unné , a pair of Swiss engineers, to produce engines to their design. Their initial efforts were on barrel engines , but these failed to meet expectations due to low reliability and high fuel consumption caused by internal friction. A new 7-cylinder water-cooled radial design
48-606: A small number of aircraft remained in use until late 1918. Some S.M.1s were supplied to the Imperial Russian Air Service , but they were no better liked in Russia . Data from General characteristics Performance Armament Salmson water-cooled aero-engines The Salmson water-cooled aero-engines , produced in France by Société des Moteurs Salmson from 1908 until 1920, were
60-417: A tail skid. One aircraft may have been fitted experimentally with a Salmson (Canton-Unne) P.9 engine. A single S.M.2 S2 aircraft, with an additional Salmson 9A engine in the nose driving a conventional tractor airscrew, was tested with poor results, due to inadequate engine cooling, in 1918. The aircraft was tested in early 1916 and was sufficiently successful to receive an order for 100 aircraft although
72-409: A wide field of fire for the two gunner-observers, one seated in the nose and one behind the pilot. Both gunners operated ring-mounted flexible 37 mm APX cannon built by Arsenal Puteaux . The airframe itself was relatively conventional, the boxy fuselage mounted on a system of struts between the wings. The undercarriage included a nose wheel, intended solely to prevent the aircraft nosing over, and
84-756: The 1914 Olympia Air Show in March that year, and was first flown on 8 April. It exhibited good take-off, climb performance and endurance, with these properties giving rise to orders from both the British Royal Naval Air Service , who ordered three and the German Kaiserliche Marine , who also ordered three. The German aircraft were taken over by the British at the outbreak of the First World War . Orders for
96-543: The Pusher Seaplane was an enlarged version of the first successful product of the aircraft department of John Samuel White & Company Limited (Wight Aircraft) , the Wight Seaplane No.2 . The aircraft was an unequal-span pusher biplane with five-bay wings mounted on two long floats. It was powered by a single 200 hp (149 kW) Salmson Canton Unné water cooled radial engine. It was exhibited at
108-471: The performance was inferior to the Sopwith 1½ Strutter . In service the S.M.1 was not successful. The nose-wheel undercarriage would collapse if misused and this caused many accidents. The complicated transmission system was difficult to service in the field and the performance of the aircraft was poor. It appears that around 155 S.M.1s were built in total. The type was largely withdrawn from service in 1917 but
120-513: The radial versions as Salmson (Canton-Unne) which refers to the Swiss engineers which engaged Salmson to build engines to their designs. Sopwith Bat Boat II , Sopwith Type C , Sopwith Type 860 and Wight Navyplane . Data from Wight Navyplane The Wight Pusher Seaplane , or Navyplane , was a British twin-float patrol seaplane produced by John Samuel White & Company Limited (Wight Aircraft) . Designed by Howard T Wright,
132-757: Was expanded during the First World War, and a second factory was opened at Villeurbanne . The Salmson-(Canton-Unne) series of water-cooled engines were also built by licensees in Russia and in Great Britain at the Dudbridge Iron Works Limited at Stroud in Gloucestershire between 1914 and 1918. Data from: LA SOCIETE DES MOTEURS SALMSON Aircraft powered by Salmson water-cooled engines included: Some sources named
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#1732801847574144-532: Was then developed by Canton and Unné. The range was expanded to produce 9-cylinder models, and also two-row 14-cylinder and 18-cylinder engines. By 1912 the Salmson A9 was producing around 120 brake horsepower; while competitive with rival designs from French companies, Salmson, Canton and Unné decided to develop more powerful engines as their rivals were concentrating on engines of lower power. The engines were produced at Salmson's factory at Billancourt , which
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