- Source: Couzinet 33
The Couzinet 33 Biarritz was a French long-range monoplane built by René Couzinet in the early 1930s.
Design
The Couzinet 33 was made of wood, with a thick cantilever wing with thickness of 60 cm (24 in) at the wing roots; with no dihedral on the upper surface. The wing main-spar was continuous from wing-tip to wing-tip; and the rear spars attached to the fuselage sides. The aircraft was covered with birch plywood, with the fuselage thinning to the rear, forming the characteristic tail of a René Couzinet signature aircraft.
Couzinet designed the plane when he was 27 years old with only 28 flight hours.
Operational history
The biarritz made its first flight in November 1931, clocking up 27 hours flying before departing on a flight from Paris to Nouméa. From 6 March 1932 to 5 April 1932 Emile Munch, Max Dévé and Charles Verneilh flew the Biarritz from France to New Caledonia, the first time a direct flight had succeeded. On arrival at Nouméa the aircraft crashed and was destroyed.
Biarritz No.2
After the wreckage of the Biarritz was shipped back to France, a second aircraft was built using salvageable parts of the first. This aircraft set off on a non-stop flight from Paris to Algiers on 30 October 1933, flown by Charles Verneilh, but crashed in fog at Blaisy-Bas in the Côte-d'Or.
Specifications
Data from Aviafrance : Couzinet 33 'Biarritz', Aviafrance : Couzinet 33 'Biarritz' n ° 2 General characteristics
Crew: 4
Length: 11.73 m (38 ft 6 in)
Wingspan: 16.16 m (53 ft 0 in)
Height: 2.75 m (9 ft 0 in)
Wing area: 34.4 m2 (370 sq ft)
Empty weight: 1,600 kg (3,527 lb)
Biarritz No.2: 1,722 kg (3,796 lb)
Gross weight: 3,500 kg (7,716 lb)
Biarritz No.2: 3,090 kg (6,810 lb)
Powerplant: 3 × de Havilland Gipsy III 4-cyl inverted air-cooled in-line piston engines, 89 kW (120 hp) each
Biarritz No.2: 3x de Havilland Gipsy Major 4-cyl inverted air-cooled in-line piston engines 140 hp (100 kW) each
Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch metal prop[ellers
Performance
Maximum speed: 260 km/h (160 mph, 140 kn)
Biarritz No.2: 280 km/h (170 mph; 150 kn)
Cruise speed: 220 km/h (140 mph, 120 kn)
Range: 4,500 km (2,800 mi, 2,400 nmi)
Biarritz No.2: 4,900 km (3,000 mi; 2,600 nmi)
Service ceiling: 5,500 m (18,000 ft)
References
Further reading
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
