| Noralpha | |
|---|---|
| |
| Nord 1101 Noralpha, in French Air Force markings, taking off from Coventry Airport, England, in 2000 | |
| Role | Communications and liaison monoplane |
| Manufacturer | Nord Aviation |
| First flight | 1944 |
| Number built | 200 |
| Developed from | Messerschmitt Bf 108 |
The Nord 1100 Noralpha was a French-built and re-engined Messerschmitt Bf 108 produced by Nord Aviation.
Construction of the Messerschmitt Bf 108 was transferred to the Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Nord (usually known simply as Nord) at Les Mureaux, to the West of Paris, in occupied France in 1942. The company built two prototypes of the Messerschmitt Me 208 during 1943/44. One survived the liberation and was redesignated Nord 1100.
The company then produced a re-engined version of the Nord Pingouin with a Renault 6Q-10 engine as the Nord 1101. The 1101 was designated the Ramier by the French military. One Nord 1104 Noralpha was fitted with a 180 kW (240 hp) Potez 6D-0 for trials and two earlier 1101 Noralphas were converted with a Turbomeca Astazou II turboshaft engine as the S.F.E.R.M.A.-Nord 1100 Noralpha (S.F.E.R.M.A. - Société Française d'Entretien et de Réparation de Matériel Aéronautique) in 1959.
The Noralpha was a low-wing cantilever monoplane with a braced horizontal tail surface and single rudder. It had a retractable tricycle landing gear. The engine was nose-mounted and it had an enclosed cabin with side-by-side seating for two and room behind for a further two passengers.
Nord built 200 production examples of the Noralpha and these served as communications aircraft with the French Air Force and French Navy. Later, many examples were civilianised. The final Air Force Noralphas were replaced in service with the Centre d'essais en vol (CEV) at Bretigny-sur-Orge during 1974-75, whilst a few naval examples continued for a further brief period.[1]
Data from Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft[2]
General characteristics
Performance
