SPAD S.A

SPAD S.A
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French SPAD S.A-2 of Escadrille N49 in Corzieux.
Role	Fighter
Manufacturer	Société Pour l'Aviation et ses Dérivés (SPAD)
Designer	Louis Béchereau
First flight	1915
Introduction	1915
Status	retired
Primary users	Russian Empire France
Produced	1915-1916
Number built	107

The SPAD S.A (also called S.A.L.) was a French two seat tractor biplane of 1915 that saw some service with France and Russia in the early stages of the First World War in the fighter and reconnaissance roles. It was somewhat unusual in having a buried engine, mounted between the pilot and observer.

Design and development

The SPAD A.1 prototype was the first aircraft produced by SPAD following its reorganization from the pre-war Deperdussin company. The chief designer, Louis Béchereau had been involved in designing that firm's successful monocoque racing monoplanes, and many design details were carried over from the Deperdussins. In addition to its pilot, the aircraft was designed to carry an observer in a streamlined nacelle ahead of the propeller. This configuration attempted to combine the advantages of the tractor and the pusher types, giving the observer had a clear field of view to the front and sides without the drag penalty of the typical pusher. However, this made communication between the pilot and the observer nearly impossible, the pulpit (as it was known in English) or basket (as it was known in Russian) vibrated badly and in multiple cases, parted company from the rest of the aircraft while in flight. Like many pushers, it also put the observer at risk of being crushed in even a relatively mild crash or "nose-over". A British evaluation of the type suggested "it would be expensive in observers if flown by indifferent pilots".

While not originally designed explicitly as a gunner's position, early combat experience had shown a need for forward-firing machine guns yet mechanisms to allow a gun to fire through the propeller were not yet available and the observer's nacelle on the S.A-1 represented a temporary solution.

On all but the earliest prototypes and the SPAD S.G, the nacelle was fitted with a light machine gun on a flexible tubular mount, and incorporated air intakes on its sides and underside to redirect air towards the Le Rhône rotary engine which was otherwise masked by the nacelle. Starting the engine required the prop being swung from alongside the fuselage. The nacelle was hinged at the bottom to provide some access to the engine for maintenance but this was insufficient and additional sliding panels were added to the sides of the fuselage. A mesh screen behind the observer was intended to prevent propeller strikes. The first prototypes were unarmed, although one was fitted with dummy guns to represent the S.G., which differed in having one or more machine guns mounted in the nacelle, without any occupant. The S.G.s guns were not accessible, causing problems, and its performance was quickly eclipsed by other single seat fighters, including the Nieuport 10 and Nieuport 11 so received no orders.

Aside from the unorthodox configuration, the aircraft was of standard wood and fabric construction for the period. The wings had a single bay but to prevent the long flying and landing wires from vibrating in flight, light vertical struts were added mid-bay to brace the wires, giving the aircraft the appearance of a two-bay biplane.

File:Somme-Vesle. Biplan SPAD - Fonds Berthelé - 49Fi494.jpg

SPAD S.A-2 at Somme-Vesle in 1915

The SPAD S.A.2 was an improved version of the S.A.1 which first flew on 21 May 1915.

The S.A-2's 110 hp engine frequently suffered from overheating so the design reverted back to the S.A-1s 80 hp Le Rhone in the S.A-4, with the same engine being retrofitted to some S.A-2s. Other changes included dispensing with the lower ailerons on the narrower chord lower wings and a larger tailplane to eliminate the need for a bungee to help with trimming. Russian examples had minor structural differences to the top wing, incorporating a separate center section rather than each wing panel being joined along the centerline.

In spite of its lack of success, the design brought valuable experience to Béchereau and his team. The successful S.VII fighter was a direct development of the A series. It had much in common aside from the pulpit being dispensed with, being re-engined with a Hispano-Suiza V8, having a delta shaped tailplane, the fuselage being fitted additional fairing stringers, wire trailing edges, reduced rib spacing and proportions adjusted slightly. Most other design details were retained.

Operational history

File:SPAD S.A-2 named Ma Jeanne.jpg

SPAD S.A-2 "Ma Jeanne"

The S.A had a short and inauspicious career in the French Aviation Militaire and it was quickly replaced in service by less dangerous types. Contemporary sources indicate that it was little used. Few details are available concerning the careers of the 42 S.A-2 airframes delivered, and it never supplied the entire equipment of an escadrille.

The Imperial Russian Air Service operated the SPAD S.A-2 and S.A-4 for longer due to a shortage of available aircraft. Some 57 S.A-2s and S.A-4s went to the Imperial Russian Air Service. During winter operations Russian aircraft were fitted with skis instead of wheels. Although Russian crews also thought very little of the SPAD (not made any better by the acronym SPAD (СПАД) in Russian meaning "slump" or "plummet"), at least two crews achieved successes with it.

On November 25, 1916, Russian pilot Karpov and his gunner Bratolyubov Jurij Aleksandrovich claimed a German aircraft near the village of Vulka.

At least one example survived to be used briefly by the Soviet Union, before they retired all obsolete types.

Variants

• SPAD S.A-1 initial production variant with 80 hp Le Rhône 9C engine and tapered tailplane. 11 built.
• SPAD S.A-2 main production variant with constant chord tailplane and 110 hp Le Rhône 9J. 35 built.
• SPAD S.A-3 dual-control trainer, with both pilot and observer being given flexible gun mounts. 2 built with 110 hp Le Rhône 9J.
• SPAD S.A-4 was an improved A.2 with a less powerful 80-hp Le Rhône 9C engine. 59 built.
• SPAD S.D slightly larger aircraft with an additional gunner position behind pilot, powered by a 220-hp Renault 8Fg engine. 1 built.
• SPAD S.G S.A with observer replaced by guns mounted in the nacelle. 1 built and 1 modified.
• SPAD S.H unbuilt development without pulpit, precursor to SPAD S.V (5) which was SPAD S.VII prototype

Operators

France

• French Air Force

Russian Empire

• Imperial Russian Air Service

Soviet Union

Workers' and Peasants' Air Fleet

Specifications (S.A-2)

Data from

General characteristics

• Crew: one pilot, one gunner/observer
• Length: 7.30 m (23.95 ft)
• Wingspan: 9.55 m (31.33 ft)
• Height: 2.65 m (8.69 ft)
• Wing area: 24.56 m² (78.58 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 435 kg (950 lb)
• Loaded weight: 735 kg (1,620 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Le Rhône 9J rotary engine, 110 ch (110 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 154 km/h (96 mph)
• Range: 300 km (190 miles)
• Service ceiling: 4300 m (980 feet)
• Rate of climb: 6.5 mins to 1000 m, 12.5 mins to 2000 m, 23.5 mins to 3000 m. (6.5 mins to 3,300 ft, 12.5 mins to 6,600 ft, 23.5 mins to 9,800 ft)

Armament

• Guns: 1 x cal. light aircraft machine gun - types used include Lewis, Colt, Hotchkiss and Madsen.

See also

Related development

• Deperdussin Monocoque/Deperdussin TT
• SPAD S.VII

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.9

External links

• Essais du SPAD SAL (in French)