| SE-1210 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Experimental flying boat |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | SNCASE |
| First flight | 9 June 1948 |
| Retired | 1952 |
| Number built | 1 |
The SNCASE SE-1210 was an experimental French flying-boat designed and built by SNCASE as a flying scale model of the proposed SE-1200 transatlantic flying boat.[1]
Following the end of the Second World War, the French aircraft manufacturer SNCASE proposed a very large, long-range flying boat, the SE-1200, which was intended to carry 125 passengers across the Atlantic Ocean. The SE-1200, with a wingspan of 61 m (200.1 ft) and a maximum takeoff weight of 140,000 kg (310,000 lb) and powered by eight 3,000–3,400 hp (2,200–2,500 kW) Arsenal 24H engines in four tandem pairs (the Arsenal 24H was a 24-cylinder H-24 engine based on components of the Junkers Jumo 213[2]), would have been one of the largest aircraft in the world if completed.[1][3]
To enable aerodynamic tests of the design a flying scale model approximately one-third size was built.[1] The resultant SE-1210 was powered by four 240 hp (179 kW) Renault 6Q in-line piston engines.[1] The SE-1210, registered F-WEPI, first flew on 9 June 1948 on the Étang de Berre near SNCASE's factory at Marignane, Marseille.[1][3] After modification it was passed to the Centre d'essais en vol (CEV) for further testing which continued from December 1948 to April 1949.[4] Following the cancellation of the SE-1200 project, testing of the SE-1210 was abandoned, with it being flown for the last time in March 1951, with the flying boat being scrapped in 1952.[1][5]
Data from French Postwar Transport Aircraft[1]
General characteristics
Performance