Jacques Gérin's « Varivol » Projects

[hesham]

Hi,

the V.6E was a single seat low-wing racer monoplane,also with variable surface wing.

 

[hesham]

My dears,

I know very well the Gerin V.1 and V.3,but I think this
aircraft was V.2,single seat fighter.

http://www.google.com/patents?id=F5dEAAAAEBAJ&printsec=abstract&zoom=4#PPA1938,M1

 

[Jemiba]

I've googled for Gerin patents myself, but still found nothing related to the
Gerin Caravelle contender from around 1952. Everybody else, who was
more succesful ?
Must be quite unusual designs for modern times !

 

[Archibald]

Good article about Guerin (not Gerin ) in Le Fana de l'aviation, circa 2001. Try "varivol" for more details. The article was very thought toward Guerin... this kind of VG system is aparently not viable

 

[hesham]

By the way,

at the first topic,it was Gerin V.6 and the second was a really project
to Gerin and from a friend the following aircraft was Gerin V.1,but I
am not sure.

http://www.google.com/patents?id=gd5jAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA1927&dq=gerin+airplane

 

[hesham]

Hi,

the Jacques Gerin V.6E had an extended wing,and I think it
was a fighter.
http://www.the-one-true-scale.co.uk/gallery%203.htm

 

[Jemiba]

As far as I understand the article from Le Fana, the V-6e was an intended in
1938 as a contender for the coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe. After the war,
in 1946 it probably was just seen as an experimental aircraft. Fitted with a
260hp Renault 6Q engine, I think, it was a little bit under powered as a fighter,
even in 1938 and totally outdated in 1946.

 

[hesham]

Thank you my dear Jemiba,

but the actually Gerin Varivol built aircraft of 1936,what was it,V4 or V.5 ?.

 

[Justo Miranda]

Additional info

 

[hesham]

Hi,


this Gerin project was powered b two pusher engines,mounted
at the rear-wing.


http://www.google.com/patents?id=VnkBAAAAEBAJ&pg=PA8&dq=gerin+airplane#v=onepage&q=gerin%20airplane&f=false


http://blog.modernmechanix.com/novel-french-plane-design/

 

[hesham]

Hi,


I heard that,the Gerin V.12 was developed from this aircraft,but I
am not sure about this Info.

 

[toura]

Hi all
1)From "le fana de l aviation " october 2000
The varivol is actually in Angers "Musée regional de l'air"
2) from "le fana" December 2000 11 pages article.

 

[hesham]

Thank you my dear Toura,


I have all pages of this,but what about V.12 ?.

 

[Jemiba]

Very interesting findings, thanks Paul and Hesham !
Is there anything about the contender for a jet powered airliner, as a contender
to the later SNCASE Caravelle ? Perhaps a developed version of the Arbalete,
with jet engines and just a single wing could give an idea, what it would have
looked like ?

 

[hesham]

May be my dear Jemiba,


and for SNCASE Caravelle competition,the tenders were;


SNCASE X-200,X-201,X-202,X-203,X-204,X-205,X-206 & X-210,Hurel-DUBOIS HD.40,HD.41 & HD.45,Dassault MD.900,SNCASO SO.60A,SO.60B & SO.60C,Breguet Br.978,Late-800,Gerin V.? and Nord N.3000.

 

[hesham]

Hi,


here is the wing tunnel V.6E.

 

[Stargazer]

The inventor Gérin designed a wing plan which varied in span from 1 to 5 by a complex system made of sliding leading edge and folding braces. Though the system worked in wind tunnel tests, the design was faulty and this wasn't apparent immediately. Not only the wing generated an awful drag in extended position, but the empennage was much too small and there was no fin.

The pilot trusted the engineers and started the aircraft at full throttle. The Varivol immediately went nose-up and fell to pieces.

 

[Archibald]

A decade ago Le Fana only had very bad words on Gérin. i remember the title "l'utopie de l'aile a surface variable" (variable wing surface utopia)
They were vitriolic - and they were right. Guérin was an idiot and a fraud.

 

[toura]

Hi Archibald
Le fana december 2000 !!!

 

[patvig]

A decade ago Le Fana only had very bad words on Gérin. i remember the title "l'utopie de l'aile a surface variable" (variable wing surface utopia)

The Gélin V-6E Varivol is showned in Angers-Macé museum, in France (http://www.musee-aviation-angers.fr/le-musee/collections/avions-et-voilures-tournantes/gerin-v-6e-varivol/.

The solution is different : the wings were moving to increase or reduce wing span.

 

[toura]

Some of Gerin

 

[avion ancien]

The Gélin V-6E Varivol is showned in Angers-Macé museum, in France (http://www.musee-aviation-angers.fr/le-musee/collections/avions-et-voilures-tournantes/gerin-v-6e-varivol/.

Photograph taken on a visit there in 2009.

 

[Retrofit]

Some more photos (taken in August 2012):

 

[Stargazer]

Several topics on Gérin's designs have now been merged for easier reference.

 

[borovik]

from "Flieger Revue"

 

[hesham]

From Le FANA,


here is an early project to Gerin,it was light transport aircraft.

 

[cluttonfred]

The more time I spend looking at the Jacques Gérin Varivol concept, the more I think he was on to something. A simplified version using a very small, fixed, constant-chord wing with a a flexible section sliding out from the fuselage, riding on the fixed wing, seems very promising in terms of combining high-speed cruise with low-speed take-off and landing with minimal complexity.

 

[hesham]

From Le FANA,


here is an early project to Gerin,it was light transport aircraft.

And from Aerophile magazine.

 

[hesham]

From Les Ailes journal;


http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6556855c/f4.image

 

[hesham]

Hi,


here is a profile to its early Model;


http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6553766w/f9.image

 

[richard]

A Gérin project :


L'Aérophile (Paris)

 

[hesham]

A Gérin project :


L'Aérophile (Paris)

Nice find my dear Richard,and here it is.

 

[hesham]

Hi,


during the development of Varivol or V.1 (1932),Mr Gerin designed a 4 to 6 seat tourist aircraft project,powered by one 200 to 300 hp engine,I believed it was (V.2),does anyone hear about it before ?.


TU magazine 207

 

[hesham]

Via my dear Tophe,


also during development of the Varivol or V.1,Gerin designed a light transport aircraft project, accommodated 10-12 passenger (not related to Arbalete),I believed it was V.4 or V.5,did anyone hear about it before ?.


TU magazine 207

 

[hesham]

Hi,


in 1938,Gerin designed a monoplane with triangle wing aircraft project,powered by 140 hp
engine,maybe transformed into the Varivol II,completed at Breguet Factory during the
Germany occupation,also does anyone hear about it before ?.


TU magazine

 

[hesham]

Hi,

http://www.avia-it.com/act/biblioteca/periodici/PDF%20Riviste/Ala%20d'Italia/L'ALA%20D'ITALIA%201936%2004.pdf

 

[hesham]

And from La Fana and TU magazines,I can say as only my speculations ;

1924/25 was a flying car patent,with pusher engine
1927 was a biplane patent to proof the concept
V.1 Varivol was the first airplane as a well known one,1929/30
V.2 was a 4/6 passenger tourist airplane Project of 1934,powered by one 200 or 300 hp engine
V.3 was an experimental monoplane Project of 1934,with large variable surface wing area
V.4 was a 10/12 passenger small transport sesquiplane Project of 1934,powered by two push-pull engines
V.5 Arbalète was a transatlantic large transport biplane Project of 1935,powered by four (each two in pair)
860 hp engines
V.6E was a single seat racer monoplane of 1936

 

[hesham]

Hi,

http://aeroclub.saverne.pagesperso-orange.fr/Zfichiers/AeroJack/AeroJack28.pdf

 

[hesham]

I heard that,the Gerin V12 was developed from this aircraft,but I
am not sure about this Info.

Maybe I translate wrong,From La Fana 373 ?.

 

[Aubi]

It says that the model inquestion could have Béarn engine of 350 ch (345 hp), with expected speed 455 km/h at 1800 m (283 mph at 5906 ft), but it was imagined also variant with Hispano-Suiza 12Y-31 V12 engine, with expected speed 760 km/h at 6000 m (472 mph at 19685 ft).
So, the V12 in question here is the engine configuration, not model designation.