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Voisin L

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Voisin L
Role Reconnaissance, Bomber, Trainer
Manufacturer Voisin
Anatra
Dux
Designer Gabriel Voisin
First flight 1912
Primary users Aéronautique Militaire
Aéronavale
Imperial Russian Air Service
Number built 70 (France)
400 (Russian Empire)
Developed into Voisin III

The Voisin L was a pusher biplane developed for the French Army's 1912 trials where it performed successfully. About 70 were built in France with around 400 manufactured under license in the Russian Empire. The aircraft was the first in a series of military pusher biplanes from Voisin all of which had similar design characteristics. During the early stages of World War I the aircraft were primarily used for reconnaissance.

The factory name for the aircraft was the Voisin L. From 1915, the official French military designation for Voisin L aircraft powered by the Rhône 9C was the Voisin I while those fitted with the Gnome Monosoupape 7A were designated as the Voisin II.

Design

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The Voisin L had equal-span wings with no dihedral. A cruciform tail was attached to the wings with booms. A streamlined nacelle carried a pilot and observer in front with a single rotary engine at the rear.[1] Steel tubing was used throughout the structure making the Voisin-L a robust aircraft for its time-period.[2]

Voisin L floatplane 1915

Land-based versions of the aircraft featured a distinctive quadricycle landing gear. A floatplane version was produced with the quadricycle landing gear replaced with three flat bottomed pontoons.[1]

Voisin-Ls can be distinguished from later Voisin pushers as they were fitted with air-cooled rotary engines and so lacked the bulky radiators seen on Voisin's later aircraft which were powered by water-cooled Salmson 9, Peugeot 8Aa and Renault 12Fe aero-engines.[3] The rotary engine on the Voisin L drove a large two bladed wooden propeller via a reduction gearbox.[4]

Operational history

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The prototype Voisin L was developed for the 1912 French military trials using the same sturdy biplane design as the Voisin military pushers exhibited in 1910 and 1911, which were themselves developments of the Voisin Type Bordeaux.[5] By 1912 Gabriel Voisin’s focus was on military sales as the companies' designs had fallen out of favor with the sports aircraft market which had moved towards to light weight tractor monoplanes.[6]

Following the aircraft's successful performance in the 1912 military trials, the French army placed an order for twelve Voisin L aircraft. The order from the military transformed the fortunes of Gabriel Voisin's business and lead to an immediate expansion of the company's factory at Issy-les-Moulineaux. The first Voisin L aircraft was delivered to the French army in May 1913. The French Navy placed orders for the floatplane version of the aircraft in August 1913 with the first delivery taking place in October 1913.[6] A total of 70 Voisin L aircraft were built in France[7] with the entire production run having been completed before the start of World War I.[8]

At the start of World War I, Voisin L aircraft (types 1 and 2) were in service with four French squadrons. The aircraft were used for artillery observation and as daylight bombers.[2] Voisin-Ls were in front line service till October 1914 after which remaining aircraft were transferred to training schools.[4] In the winter of 1914/15 the French Airforce was reorganized with production focused on a smaller number of dedicated types. One of the types selected for mass production was the Voisin III.[9]

In the Russian Empire, Voisin L aircraft were manufactured by Anatra in Odesa[10] and the Duk Factory in Moscow. Both manufacturers also license built Voisin III aircraft.[10][11] A total of 400 Voisin L aircraft were built in the Russian empire[11] with the type remaining in front line service with the Imperial Russian Air Service into 1916.[12]

The Voisin L was the first in a series of pusher biplanes referred to as the 13.5 meter or "L" series with STAe designations running from Voisin I to XI.[7] Around 6,000 of the Voisin 13.5 meter series aircraft were built between 1913 and 1918.[5]

Variants

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Reduction gear and drive shaft fitted to a Voisin L powered by a Gnome Monosoupape 7A rotary engine
  • Type 1, Voisin I or Voisin-Rhône - Fitted with the Rhône 9C[1][4][3]
  • Type 2, Voisin II or Voisin-Gnome - Fitted with a Gnome rotary engine.[1][4][3] Early examples were fitted with the Gnome Omega. Later examples used the seven-cylinder variant of the Gnome Monosoupape.[4]
  • 3 B.2 - Fitted with dual controls for flying school use. Powered by the Rhône 9C.[7]
  • 3 D.2 - Fitted with dual controls for flying school use. Powered by the Gnome Monosoupape 7A.[7]

Type 1 and 2 are designations applied retrospectively by the French military from 1915 onwards.[4] Contemporary names for the aircraft included the Voisin model 1912[1] and Voisin 13.5 meter.[5] In all cases Voisin L was the aircraft's factory designation.[1][4]

Operators

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 France
 Russia

Specifications (Type 1)

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Data from Renato[3]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2 (pilot and observer)
  • Length: 10.5 m (34 ft 5 in)
  • Wingspan: 13.5 m (44 ft 3 in)
  • Height: 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in)
  • Wing area: 42 m2 (450 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 825 kg (1,819 lb)
  • Gross weight: 1,100 kg (2,425 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Le Rhône 9C rotary engine, 60 kW (80 hp)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch pusher propeller driven at ~600 rpm (half the engine speed) via a gearbox[4]

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 95 km/h (59 mph, 51 kn)
  • Time to altitude: 1,000 m (3,281 ft) in 11 minutes[13]

Armament

  • Bombs: Up to 59 kg (130 lb) carried inside the nacelle and dropped over the side by the observer[14]

See also

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Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Simons, Graham M (2019). "Hydro avions". Early French Aviation (1905-1930). Pen and Sword. ISBN 9781526758750.
  2. ^ a b Ulanoff, Stanley M (1970). "Bomber and Reconnaissance Aircraft". Illustrated history of World War I in the air. United States: Arco Publishing. p. 135. ISBN 9780668017688.
  3. ^ a b c d Pinto, Renato (1981). "Voisin L". Perfiles Historia De La Aviacion [History of aviation] (in Spanish). Vol. 1. Spain: Viscontea. pp. 65–72.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Pernet, Andre (January 1963). "La Premier Victorie Aerienne" [The first air victory]. Aviation (in French) (362): 46–47.
  5. ^ a b c Opdycke, Leonard E (1999). French Aeroplanes before the Great War. United States: Schiffer Military History. pp. 269–271. ISBN 0764307525.
  6. ^ a b Pernet, Andre (November 1962). "Des ateliers à l'usine" [Series factory production]. Aviation (in French) (359): 56–57.
  7. ^ a b c d Pernet, Andre (May 1963). "Caracteristiques des Voisin 1914-1918" [Voisin aircraft specifications 1914-1918]. Aviation (in French) (371): 55.
  8. ^ Pernet, Andre (February 1963). "Bombardiers en action" [Bombers in action]. Aviation (in French) (364): 48–49.
  9. ^ Sumner, Ian (2015). The Kings of the Air: French Aces and Airmen of the Great War. Pen and Sword. p. 41. ISBN 9781783463381.
  10. ^ a b Robinson, Antony (1979). "Wings for the Tzar". The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aviation. Vol. 1. United Kingdom: Marschal Cavendish. p. 57. ISBN 085685574X.
  11. ^ a b Blume, August G (2010). The Russian Military Air Fleet in World War I. Vol. 1 - A chronology 1910-1917. United States: Schiffer. pp. 297–298. ISBN 978-0764333514.
  12. ^ Kulikov, Victor (2013). "Aces of the 9th AOI". Russian Aces of World War 1. United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781780960609.
  13. ^ "Naval and Military Aeronautics". The Aeroplane. United Kingdom. 22 January 1914. p. 86.
  14. ^ Taylor, John W. R. (1969). Combat aircraft of the world: from 1909 to the present. United Kingdom: Putnam. p. 131. LCCN 68-25459.
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