Breguet 941
The Breguet 941 was a French passenger and transport aircraft of Breguet. The shoulder wing made entirely of metal had a retractable tricycle landing gear and was powered by four turboprop engines. It had STOL capabilities. The nose landing gear consisted of a twin tires, while the main gear ever wore the right and left two individual wheels. It was designed for use on unpaved runways.
Development
The machine is based on the Breguet 940, which had the same technical concept. Development began in 1948 when Louis Breguet had made fundamental studies of the possibilities of the short take-off and Landing. This research led to the development of the blown wing ( " l' aile soufflée "). This fundamental development envisaged a reaching over wide areas of the wing slotted flap, which are blown by slow-running propellers during landing. The flaps can take up to 97 °, so that a substantial part of the drive power can be used to generate a downward air current.
A model was first created in scale 1 /75 in order to verify the basic design. The model confirmed the expectations. Then a driven model in scale 1/ 6 was prepared, which was extensively tested and optimized in the wind tunnel at Villacoublay.
The technical design makes the aircraft very sensitive to failures or asymmetries of the flaps or the drive. In the takeoff and landing phase, a corresponding event would trigger a non- controllable roll moment. To keep the risk as low as possible, the flaps were driven centrally by a single actuator. The engines do not work directly on the propeller, but first on a plane extending through the whole wing shaft which in turn drives the single propeller, so that the failure of two engines on one side during the landing approach remains manageable. The inner propeller working clockwise, the outer counterclockwise.
Running machines
The wind tunnel tests showed very good results and were 210 million francs supported by the French government. It was established in 1957 started with the manufacturing of the prototype equipped with four Turboméca Turmo II Breguet 940 which was launched on its maiden flight on 21 May 1958. The machine excited by their performances in 1959 in Le Bourget, where she got along with takeoff and landing roll distances of 50 m, even with McDonnell Douglas sensation and on 23 February 1960, a series prototype, the Breguet 941, appointed by the French government.
The machine should be able to transport 48 passengers or equivalent cargo. She was treated with 882 kW payable Turboméca Turmo III D engines equipped and launched on June 1, 1961 on its maiden flight. The contacts with McDonnell led on 6 June 1962 a contract in which McDonnell cooperation partner of the Breguet 941 and any successor.
The machine was after a series of spectacular air shows, partly in the city of Paris, repainted and went as McDonnell 188 at air shows in the United States. The transfer began on June 6, 1964, with intermediate stations in Prestwick - Keflavik - Airport Kangerlussuaq ( Sondre Strømfjord Airport) and Goose Bay, the U.S. was reached on June 9.
Presentations to representatives of the U.S. military began on June 12. First, at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington DC and from June 15 to July 6 at Eglin Air Force Base.
For further evaluation, a 32- day test program was conducted at Wright - Patterson Air Force Base. During the last flight, the plane crashed after a rough incorrect operation of about 10 m in height and was heavily damaged. Due to the circumstances, a plot was supposed to keep the machine for closer examination of the art in the USA.
After 8 months of repair and other demonstrations, the machine returned on 16 April 1965 France. In November of the same year a major overhaul was carried out and more powerful Turbomeca Turmo III D 3 (1102 kW) have been installed. It was a government contract for 4 improved machine was issued to be extended by 1.52 m and the name Breguet 941 S received. The first machine of this variant was launched on 16 April 1967.
The second machine, the 941 S was once again sent to the USA after Eastern Airlines and American Airlines had expressed interest. The machine arrived in the States on 31 July 1968. The Eastern underwent a prototype of a 3- month field test, which ran from the technical side without problems. The FAA hired investigations. During an experiment on 19 November 1968 wheel was unilaterally applied so hard that the machine broke and dumped, got a propeller contact with the ground and a piece broke off, the fuselage broke through and a crew member injured. The repair lasted for another 4 months.
Whereabouts
However, all these efforts did not lead to economic success of the machine. Your performance at low speeds were so outstanding that have new airfields for use must be created. As long as these places, however, were not available and the 941 from normal airports would have to operate, their sophisticated technology would have been too expensive to purchase and maintain.
The last remaining aircraft of this type was decommissioned in 1974 and is now on display at Le Bourget.