Prototypical French Airliner Designs........

Dear Secret Projects Members, I am seeking assistance for modelmaking references. I have identified five important French airliner prototypes that I wish to produce in model form. Please can any of you recommend sources for accurate reference material? I especially require good general arrangement drawings to assist in pattern-making, but any and all suggestions will be most welcome. The five airliner prototypes are......

Bréguet Br.500 Colmar.
An attractive, rakish twin engine airliner development of the Bréguet Br.482 Bomber designs; featuring an aerofoil section fuselage and mid-wing layout (with consequent impact on internal layout and volume available for payload), small area wing and advanced double-slotted flaps. The Br.500 also featured the Gnome-Rhône GR14R-4/5; originally fitted with 2 of the GR14R-5 engines with propeller rotation in the same direction, then later refitted with a GR14R-4 on the portside to give the typically French counter-rotating engine installation for the avoidance of torque effects.

Interestingly, the GR14R engines fitted are the same “Groupe Standard” power-egg installation also fitted to the S.N.C.A.S.E SE.1010, S.N.C.A.S.O SO.30N Bellatrix, S.N.C.A.C. NC.211 Cormoran, Lioré & Olivier LeO 455 & S.N.C.A.S.E SE.200 Amphitrite (formerly the Lioré & Olivier H-49).

I have only been able to find the following references for the single finished prototype so far in........

Le Fana de l’Aviation – No. 340; March 1998. Pages 22 to 30 by Philippe Ricco with Joël Mesnard.
French Post-War Transport aircraft by J. Chillon, J-P DuBois & J. Wegg; published by Air-Britain. Pages 144/3 & 156.
Minidocavia No. 8, Les Prototypes de Transport Civils Français by Pierre Gaillard ; published by Éditions Larivière. Page 39.
http://www.aviafrance.com/790.htm


Dewoitine D.342.
The ultimate development of the Dewoitine D.332/333/338 trimotor family with a cylindrical section fuselage and Gnome-Rhône GR14N 2-row radial engines. I understand that this aircraft was constructed with the wing of the intermediate and abortive Dewoitine D.620 trimotor.

I have only been able to find the following references for the single prototype so far in........

Le Fana de l’Aviation – No. 238; September 1989 (I haven’t been able to obtain a copy so far).
Minidocavia No. 3, Les Avions de Transport Civil Français by Pierre Gaillard; published by Éditions Larivière. Page 36.
http://1000aircraftphotos.com/Contributions/KleinBernhard/6213.htm
http://www.aviafrance.com/2312.htm


S.N.C.A.S.O SO.30N Bellatrix.
Precursor to the better known SO.30P Bretagne; but with a tail-wheel undercarriage, fully faired windscreen and a complicated arrangement of internal bulkheads to carry the load of its mid-wing attachment points across the cabin interior.

I have only been able to find the following references for the single prototype so far in........
Le Fana de l’Aviation – No. 213; August 1987. Pages 20 to 25 by Pierre Gaillard and Alain Marchand (see page 22 for the aforementioned interior arrangement).
French Post-War Transport aircraft by J. Chillon, J-P DuBois & J. Wegg; published by Air-Britain. Pages 24 & 25.
Minidocavia No. 8, Les Prototypes de Transport Civils Français by Pierre Gaillard ; published by Éditions Larivière. Page 40.
http://www.abpic.co.uk/search.php?q=SNCASO%20SO.30N%20Bellatrix&u=type
http://cfsfrance.altajeux.com/cgi/cgi_nuke/index.cgi?action=threadprog&forum=32&topic=61&start=0&block=forum&lang=fra


Dewoitine D.620.
An intermediate larger capacity development of the Dewoitine D.332/333/338 trimotor family with Gnome-Rhône GR14Kdrs 2-row radial engines and a longer passenger cabin. Evidently this design was an unsatisfactory replacement for the D.338.

I have only been able to find one quality reference for the single prototype so far in........

Minidocavia No. 8, Les Prototypes de Transport Civils Français by Pierre Gaillard ; published by Éditions Larivière. Page 36.
http://www.aviafrance.com/323.htm


Bloch MB.300 Pacifique.
A unsuccessful competitor to the Dewoitine D.338 and effectively a stretched trimotor version of the well known Bloch MB.220 airliner using the same wings from the Bloch MB.210 bomber.

I have only been able to find one quality reference for the single prototype so far in........

Minidocavia No. 8, Les Prototypes de Transport Civils Français by Pierre Gaillard ; published by Éditions Larivière. Page 35.
http://www.aviafrance.com/1869.htm
http://www.dassault-aviation.com/en/passion/aircraft/civil-bloch-aircraft/mb-300.html?L=1


I do hope that some of you will be able to assist me.

All best wishes,

Terry (Caravellarella).

For the Br.500 you should have a look at Cunys "Les Avions Breguet". The SO-30N is
more difficult to find, I only know some separated photos .
Short mentioning wit one photo of the Dewoitine D.342 in Christian Castello "Planeurs et
Avions".

You're lucky guy! Le Fana de l'aviation of THIS MONTH, december 2007, has an article about dewoitines airliners you mentioned, and another on the
SO-30!!!

I join Jemiba opinion on Jean Cuny book.

D-620 (p.415 to 418) and D-342 (p.419 to 423) are in Les avions Dewoitine (Danel & Cuny, Editions Larivière, Collection Docavia, 1982)

In Prototypes de l'aviation française 1945-1960 of Jean-Claude Fayer, éditions ETAI (2002), there is one page with 4 photos for each following planes : Br.500 (p.34) and SO.30R (p.284, but 30N, 30P and "Nene" are p.295

In Histoire de l'aéronautique française, part one, 1944-1960 (Jacques Noetinger, Editions France-Empire, 1978), there are some words about the SO.30N (p.36 with one photo) and Br.500 (p.37 with one photo).

There is an article of Le Fana about the french new planes for the month of november 1945. I guess that it's in Le Fana of november 2005. It's about the SO.30R.
Le fana of december 2007 speaks about the SO.30P.

Dear Archibald, thank you. I just received my copy of this month's Fana de l'Aviation; nice pictures of the D.620 and the D.342. I've seen these pictures before and there weren't any drawings to accompany them.

Interestingly, the article mentions a preliminary D.340 and D.341; the former a 27 passenger continental airliner and the latter a 12 -to-16 passenger long-range airliner. The D.342 is described as the potential French DC-3. I was wrong in my original post, it was the D.620 and not the D.338 which was the Bloch MB.300's competitor.

All best, Terry, (Caravellarella).

Dear Boys and Girls, here are some images of the Bloch MB.300 Pacifique; have any of you ever seen any accurate general arrangement drawings for this fascinating airliner prototype please? I really do need some drawings for a project......

Very many thanks, Terry (Caravellarella).

Quite recently, I've seen a drawing (probably somewhere here in this forum )of a proposal
for the MB.300 as transport for a light tank. there were differences to the actual prototype,
but it could well form the basis of a relatively (!) accurate drawing.A problem is the shape
of the wing and tailplane. Similar to the MB.220 ? ???

Dear Jemiba, I understand that the MB.220 and MB.300 Pacifique share the same basic wing; itself inherited from the MB.210 bomber. The MB.300 Pacifique had a much larger fuselage with 4 abreast seating than the MB.220 with its Douglas DC-2 style 2 abreast seating. I can quite easily see how the more capacious MB.300 fuselage could accomodate a light tank.

Thanks, Terry (Caravellarella).

Thank you Jemiba, you are very kind. I did think of trying to contact Avions Marcel Dassault, but somehow I doubt the Marcel Bloch design archive survived the nazi occupation of France.

All best, Terry (Caravellarella).

Drawing of the Dewoitine 620

There are drawings of the D.342 and D.620 in Avions no.179. Those of the D.342 are very detailed, those of the D.620 unfortunately lack a top view. (The article is mainly on the D.342, and is continued in issue no.180.)

There is an article on the Breguet 500 Colmar in Le Moniteur de l'Aéronautique no.29, with large drawings.

Caravellarella said:

Dear Secret Projects Members, I am seeking assistance for modelmaking references. I have identified five important French airliner prototypes that I wish to produce in model form. Please can any of you recommend sources for accurate reference material? I especially require good general arrangement drawings to assist in pattern-making, but any and all suggestions will be most welcome. The five airliner prototypes are......

Bréguet Br.500 Colmar.
An attractive, rakish twin engine airliner development of the Bréguet Br.482 Bomber designs; featuring an aerofoil section fuselage and mid-wing layout (with consequent impact on internal layout and volume available for payload), small area wing and advanced double-slotted flaps. The Br.500 also featured the Gnome-Rhône GR14R-4/5; originally fitted with 2 of the GR14R-5 engines with propeller rotation in the same direction, then later refitted with a GR14R-4 on the portside to give the typically French counter-rotating engine installation for the avoidance of torque effects.

Interestingly, the GR14R engines fitted are the same “Groupe Standard” power-egg installation also fitted to the S.N.C.A.S.E SE.1010, S.N.C.A.S.O SO.30N Bellatrix, S.N.C.A.C. NC.211 Cormoran, Lioré & Olivier LeO 455 & S.N.C.A.S.E SE.200 Amphitrite (formerly the Lioré & Olivier H-49).

I have only been able to find the following references for the single finished prototype so far in........

Le Fana de l’Aviation – No. 340; March 1998. Pages 22 to 30 by Philippe Ricco with Joël Mesnard.
French Post-War Transport aircraft by J. Chillon, J-P DuBois & J. Wegg; published by Air-Britain. Pages 144/3 & 156.
Minidocavia No. 8, Les Prototypes de Transport Civils Français by Pierre Gaillard ; published by Éditions Larivière. Page 39.

http://www.aviafrance.com/790.htm

Dewoitine D.342.
The ultimate development of the Dewoitine D.332/333/338 trimotor family with a cylindrical section fuselage and Gnome-Rhône GR14N 2-row radial engines. I understand that this aircraft was constructed with the wing of the intermediate and abortive Dewoitine D.620 trimotor.

I have only been able to find the following references for the single prototype so far in........

Le Fana de l’Aviation – No. 238; September 1989 (I haven’t been able to obtain a copy so far).
Minidocavia No. 3, Les Avions de Transport Civil Français by Pierre Gaillard; published by Éditions Larivière. Page 36.

Dewoitine D.342

http://www.aviafrance.com/2312.htm

S.N.C.A.S.O SO.30N Bellatrix.
Precursor to the better known SO.30P Bretagne; but with a tail-wheel undercarriage, fully faired windscreen and a complicated arrangement of internal bulkheads to carry the load of its mid-wing attachment points across the cabin interior.

I have only been able to find the following references for the single prototype so far in........
Le Fana de l’Aviation – No. 213; August 1987. Pages 20 to 25 by Pierre Gaillard and Alain Marchand (see page 22 for the aforementioned interior arrangement).
French Post-War Transport aircraft by J. Chillon, J-P DuBois & J. Wegg; published by Air-Britain. Pages 24 & 25.
Minidocavia No. 8, Les Prototypes de Transport Civils Français by Pierre Gaillard ; published by Éditions Larivière. Page 40.

Search Results :

Aviation photograph search results

www.abpic.co.uk

http://cfsfrance.altajeux.com/cgi/cgi_nuke/index.cgi?action=threadprog&forum=32&topic=61&start=0&block=forum&lang=fra

Dewoitine D.620.
An intermediate larger capacity development of the Dewoitine D.332/333/338 trimotor family with Gnome-Rhône GR14Kdrs 2-row radial engines and a longer passenger cabin. Evidently this design was an unsatisfactory replacement for the D.338.

I have only been able to find one quality reference for the single prototype so far in........

Minidocavia No. 8, Les Prototypes de Transport Civils Français by Pierre Gaillard ; published by Éditions Larivière. Page 36.

http://www.aviafrance.com/323.htm

Bloch MB.300 Pacifique.
A unsuccessful competitor to the Dewoitine D.338 and effectively a stretched trimotor version of the well known Bloch MB.220 airliner using the same wings from the Bloch MB.210 bomber.

I have only been able to find one quality reference for the single prototype so far in........

Minidocavia No. 8, Les Prototypes de Transport Civils Français by Pierre Gaillard ; published by Éditions Larivière. Page 35.

http://www.aviafrance.com/1869.htm

http://www.dassault-aviation.com/en/passion/aircraft/civil-bloch-aircraft/mb-300.html?L=1

I do hope that some of you will be able to assist me.

All best wishes,

Terry (Caravellarella).

Click to expand...

Hello,
I just discover this old topic. Strangely, your 'top five' selection correspond to articles I have publihed:
- Breguet 500 Colmar: Le Fana de l'Aviation n° 340 March 1998.
- Dewoitine 620 and 342: Avions n° 179 and 180 January-April 2011.
- SO 30N Bellatrix: Le Trait d'Union n° 326 November-December 2022.
- Bloch 300 Pacifique: Avions n° 201and 202 September(December 2014.

In addition, I will come back soon on Bloch 300 in the second volume of my book in preparation about Marcel Bloch.
I attach a file with SO-30R internal arrangement.
BR, PhR

Bloch 300 and Dewoitine 620 from NACA reports:

I don't have view of the internal arrangement of the Breguet 500, but here is the Breguet 510, enlarged version of the Breguet 500, for 32 passengers instead of 23.

And here is the Bloch 300 Pacifique.