Voisin_L

Voisin L

Voisin L

French pusher biplane

The Voisin L was a pusher biplane developed for the French Army's 1912 trials[1] where it performed successfully. About 70 were built in France with a small number manufactured under license in the Russian Empire.[2] The aircraft was the first in a series of military pusher biplanes from Voisin all of which had similar design characteristics.[1]

Quick Facts Role, Manufacturer ...

Design

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.[3]

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 identified as they used air-cooled rotary engines and so lacked the bulky radiators seen on later Voisin pushers which were powered by water-cooled Salmson 9, Peugeot 8Aa and Renault 12Fe aero-engines.[4]

Operational history

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.[3] Voisin-Ls were in front line service till 1915 when the French airforce was reorganised with production focused on a smaller number of dedicated types. One of the types selected for mass production was the Voisin III.[5]

In the Russian Empire, Voisin L aircraft were manufactured by Anatra, an Odesa based company who produced licensed versions of a number of French aircraft including the Voisin III.[6] Voisin L aircraft remained in front line service into 1916.[7]

Variants

  • Type 1 or Voisin I - Fitted with the Rhône 9C[1][4]
  • Type 2 or Voisin II - Fitted with Gnome rotary engines. Some later examples used the seven-cylinder variant of the Gnome Monosoupape.[1][4]

Type 1 and 2 are designations applied retrospectively.[4] Contemporary names for the aircraft included the Voisin model 1912[1] and Voisin 13.5 meter.[8] In all cases Voisin L was the aircraft's factory designation.[1]

Operators

 France
 Russia

Specifications (Type 1)

Data from Renato[4]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • 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

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 95 km/h (59 mph, 51 kn)
  • Time to altitude: 1,000 m (3,281 ft) in 11 minutes[9]

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

  1. [1]
    Simons, Graham M (2019). "Hydro avions". Early French Aviation (1905-1930). Pen and Sword. ISBN 9781526758750.
  2. [2]
    Davilla, James J; Soltan, Arthur M (2002). French aircraft of the First World War. Flying Machines Press. p. 542. ISBN 9781891268090.
  3. [3]
    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.
  4. [4]
    Pinto, Renato (1981). "Voisin L". Perfiles Historia De La Aviacion [History of aviation] (in Spanish). Vol. 1. Spain: Viscontea. pp. 65–72.
  5. [5]
    Sumner, Ian (2015). The Kings of the Air: French Aces and Airmen of the Great War. Pen and Sword. p. 41. ISBN 9781783463381.
  6. [6]
    Robinson, Antony (1979). "Wings for the Tzar". The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aviation. Vol. 1. United Kingdom: Marschal Cavendish. p. 57. ISBN 085685574X.
  7. [7]
    Kulikov, Victor (2013). "Aces of the 9th AOI". Russian Aces of World War 1. United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781780960609.
  8. [8]
    Opdycke, Leonard E (1999). French Aeroplanes before the Great War. United States: Schiffer Military History. p. 271. ISBN 0764307525.
  9. [9]
    "Naval and Military Aeronautics". The Aeroplane. United Kingdom. 22 January 1914. p. 86.
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