Sud-Est Armagnac

S.E.2010 Armagnac
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Front view of the Armagnac
Type	Airliner
Manufacturer	Sud-Est
Maiden flight	April 2 1949
Introduced	December 1952
Primary users	Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux SAGETA
Number built	8

The Sud-Est S.E.2010 Armagnac was a large French airliner of the late 1940s built by Sud-Est.

History

The Armagnac was a cantilever mid-wing monoplane with retractable tricycle landing gear and it was designed for transatlantic service. After delays to the planning because of World War II, work proceeded quickly and the first prototype flew on April 2, 1949. Production of 15 aircraft was planned for delivery to Air France. After evaluation of the prototype by Air France, the airline declined delivery in 1952 when the first production aircraft was ready. The decision to decline delivery was based on inadequate performance. Despite being designed for transatlantic service, the aircraft's range fell short of the required range for this use. Additionally, it was simply too big to be operated profitably for shorter range routes. Generally, the somewhat underpowered aircraft was proved generally uneconomical to operate.

Only eight aircraft were built and four were delivered to TAI (Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux) (later UTA), who used them for eight months and then discarded them as unprofitable. The aircraft passed to SAGETA (the Société Auxiliaire de Gérance et d'Exploitation de Transport Aériens) who operated seven to ferry cargo, mail and troops from Toulouse to Saigon in French Indochina. They were highly regarded in this role, but French rule in the area was almost over and they were surplus by mid-1954. All were broken up in 1955.

At the time, the Armagnac was one of the largest civil aircraft ever built. It used Pratt & Whitney R-4350-B12 Wasp Major radial engines, the largest piston engine ever placed into production for aircraft use. It also had a wider fuselage than other airliners of the time, a full 15ft 5in/4.7 m wide, which gave it a much roomier feel and greater capacity, foreshadowing the future wide-body jet airliners. Up to 160 passengers could be carried, a large number for the time. Unfortunately, the aircraft's disappointing performance and range prevented it from achieving commercial success.

Operators

• Template:FRA
  • Transports Aeriens Intercontinentaux (TAI)
  • Societe Auxiliaire de Gerence st de Transport Aerieus (SAGETA)

References

• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing. 

See also

Comparable aircraft
Lockheed Constellation - Boeing 377 - Douglas DC-7

Related lists

• List of airliners