Sud Aviation Caravelle
The French Sud Aviation Caravelle was one of the first jet-propelled short - and medium-haul passenger aircraft in the world. In order to accelerate the development, in which low-wing aircraft with a pressurized cabin parts of the previously developed Comet were used.
Development
The concept of the Caravelle was supported by the French aviation authority SGACC ( Secrétariat Général à l'Aviation Civile et Commerciale ) submitted to the six most important French aircraft manufacturers in 1951 as a specification. The aim was to develop a competitive aircraft type to the British Comet. Published on November 6, 1951 specification called for delivering a payload 6-7 tons over a distance of at least 2000 km with an average speed of 700 km / h From the many proposals, the Development Commission finally chose in September 1952 from the design of the X210 state SNCASE. This company was founded in 1957 merged with the SNCASO to Sud Aviation. The first project proposal was to use three Atar engines from French production, which should be mounted on the rear fuselage. Eventually, however, the British Rolls -Royce Avon engine was chosen because it had already proven its reliability. The fact that the Avon brought much more power, resulting in a twin-engine design of the new airplane type. Thus, the time in aircraft revolutionary design was created with two stern thrusters and a so-called clean wings with moderate sweep. The Caravelle has a cruciform tail, that is, the horizontal stabilizer inserts on the vertical stabilizer. The cabin was originally designed for 52 passengers, but later versions could accommodate up to 140 passengers.
The development costs of the Caravelle were wholly funded by the French government, a contract to build two prototypes was signed on January 3, 1953. In addition there were two broken cells for the strength analysis. The project name was changed to SE.210 and as the project name was chosen Caravelle.
Use and operator
The first flights of the prototypes found on May 25, 1955, and May 6, 1956 instead. While these machines were powered by engines of the type Avon RA.26, the production aircraft were given the RA.29 - Mk.522 aggregates. The first sales success came on 16 November 1955, when the State Air France placed an order for twelve machines. Soon followed by other European airlines, including SAS, which was to become one of the largest operators of the Caravelle.
On April 2, 1958, the Type Certificate by the French and six days later by the American authorities took place. On 18 May the same year already launched the first production aircraft, the Caravelle I, to their first flight. Deliveries to Air France began on 19 March 1959 and on 6 May 1959, the aircraft was officially introduced into service. As the first foreign company SAS received the Caravelle on 15 May 1959. Compared to the prototype had the Caravelle I now Avon RA.29 - Mk.522 engines, a stretched 1.5 m fuselage and a longer run out side fin, in which the RF antenna was housed.
The main operator of the Caravelle were Air France (46 ), SAS and Alitalia ( per 21). The largest operator outside Europe was United Airlines, which - like the Danish Sterling Airways - operating 20 copies. Other major operators were Iberia (19 ), Air Inter ( 14) and Finnair (12). Other airlines that Caravelles - used in part - bought and flew were, among others, Aero Lloyd, Air Charter, Austrian Airlines, Hispania, TAE - Trabajos Aereos y Enlaces, Istanbul Airlines, LTU, Luxair, satellite flight, Sultan Air, Swissair TAP Portugal, Tunisair and Transwede.
From the mid- 1970s, the Caravelle was replaced by larger and more modern aircraft types from most main lines, but they came quite often until well into the 1980s into charter services are used. At the last operators in Europe included the Air Toulouse, with the Caravelle 10B3 Super B last flew in 1995. The currently available information last Caravelle in commercial use located, approved in Swaziland Caravelle 11R Transair Cargo with the identifier 3D - KIK and the production number 251 (first flight 1968) crashed on 28 August 2004. Originally she was in Goma (Congo) land, there was not an immediate permission to land and had to circle in a holding pattern. With only a little fuel remaining, the pilot decided instead to fly to the neighboring airport of Gisenyi in Rwanda. The Caravelle crashed upon landing at the only 1000 meter long runway. All eight occupants survived the accident. The Congolese Waltair, the permit withdrawn in September 2005, is to be flown until in July 2005 into a Caravelle 10B3 (production number 169).
There are efforts, a formerly Scandinavian Airlines ( SAS) used Caravelle III to make airworthy again and to use for scenic flights. The Swedish Le Caravelle Club has the Caravelle with the production of number 210 (indicator SE -DAI ), which is based at Stockholm- Arlanda airport. Last flew the plane on 28 January 1999, since the engines of the machine to be started once a year. However, Airbus, the last type support has withdrawn the certificate of airworthiness. Thus, they could fly only with a license ( " Permit to Fly "). Such, however, is very difficult to obtain for a commercial airliner. Therefore, and due to financial reasons, the " second first flight " did not take place as a museum aircraft today.
Currently ( May 2009) must be assumed that there are no airworthy Caravelle more worldwide.
Variants
On the basis of different variants of the prototype with up to 140 seats have been developed over the years. Except for the variants I and IA almost all Caravelle patterns were offered and produced in parallel.
The production was set in 1972 after the construction of a total of 282 Caravelle all versions ( including two prototypes).
Specifications
Mk.IA: 2 Rolls- Royce Avon RA- 29/1 Mk.526 each? kN Mk.III: 2 Rolls- Royce Avon RA 29/3 Mk.527 (B ), each with 50.7 kN Mk.VI -N: 2 Rolls- Royce Avon RA- 29/6 Mk.531 (B ), each with 54.28 kN Mk.VI -R: 2 Rolls- Royce Avon RA- 29/6 Mk.535R each with 56.05 kN
Mk.12: 2 Pratt & Whitney JT8D -9, each with 64.5 kN
May 14, 1958 (I) February 11, 1960 (IA )
February 6, 1961 (VI- R)
March 3, 1964 (10B )
Incidents
In the course of using a total of 1,227 persons ( passengers and people on the ground ) were killed in 52 incidents.
- On January 19, 1960 Caravelle I crashed the SAS (registration OY - KRB ) during the approach from the Turkish airport Esenboga. All 42 people on board were killed. The cause controlled flight into terrain was found. It is about the first accident a Caravelle.
- On September 4, 1963 Swissair Flight 306 crashed due to a tripped due to overheated brake fire on board from. This resulted in the Caravelle III Swissair with the registry (HB- ICV ) in a total loss of hydraulics, whereby the aircraft was uncontrollable. Six crew members and 74 passengers - 43 of which came from the small village Humlikon - died.
- On March 14, 1972 crashed into a Caravelle 10B3 Sterling Airlines on the flight from Colombo Bandaranaike Airport to Dubai, just before landing against a 500m high hill. The chartered machine should continue to fly to Copenhagen after a refueling stop in Dubai. 112 people - including six crew members - were killed. This is the most momentous crash of this pattern.
- On 22 December 1973, leased by the Sud Aviation Caravelle VI - Sobelair N of Royal Air Maroc crashed on approach to Tangier- Boukhalef in the dark and rain near the city of Tétouan against the mountain Mellaline in the Rif mountains. All 106 occupants of the machine were killed.
- On 18 December 1977 Caravelle SE -210 crashed 10R of the Swiss airline SATA ( Société anonyme de transport Aérien ) with flight number 730 from Zurich over Geneva to Funchal on the landing approach to Funchal, Madeira 4 km from the runway into the sea. 36 passengers were killed, 21 survived. The wreck was found by two divers only 34 years later in 105m depth.
- On 31 January 2001, the last crash occurred with fatalities: A converted to cargo plane Caravelle 10R Lineas Aéreas the Suramericanas crashed while landing at the airport in Mitú, with a pilot and two passengers were killed.