French aircraft ID

What it looked like in the beginning. Castel-Mouboussin CM.10

Chris

An interesting different view of the CM. 10
http://j2mcl-planeurs.net/dbj2mcl/planeurs-machines/photos/Castel-Mauboussin_CM-10.jpg

No need to apologise, your conclusion was a very reasonable one, especially as I mentioned Breguet!

The construction looked a bit “light” for a nose of a heavy transport a/c.

I must admit that aspect of it was niggling away at me, there also appears to be a light aperture very near the bottom of the cockpit, this is backed up in the CM-10, 100 pictures.
Looks quite impressive for a glider, I wonder if the cockpit still exists?

Sorry for the Br.831 runaround!:o

Thanks Chris, that’s brilliant!

What it looked like in the beginning. Castel-Mouboussin CM.10

Chris

And for Avion Ancien, Colomb-Bechar is in Algeria, not in one of the banlieues!

Which is why – hardly surprisingly – it wasn’t listed in my gazeteer of places in France! But it does help tie it in with the reference on http://avions-de-la-guerre-d-algerie.over-blog.com/categorie-10676820.html where, had I read it carefully on an earlier visit, I’d have found mention of Colomb-Béchar! So thank you, Atcham Tower.

lateral thinking…

Thanks for the compliment.
The construction looked a bit “light” for a nose of a heavy transport a/c.
Thats why I was thinking what I did, along with the possiblitiies of a helicopter.
But nothing fit.

That’s amazing. Thanks John! And Wieesso for the drawing. Good Vibs’ suggestion that it might be the rear end of something (with twin booms maybe) was good lateral thinking. And for Avion Ancien, Colomb-Bechar is in Algeria, not in one of the banlieues!

Fouga? Where? I want it!!:D

Certainly not my topic but I looked up the Fouga CM-100 in Air-Britain’s book French Post-War Transport Aircraft published in 1980 and it states that an un-identified CM-100 nose section was still kept in a hangar at Chavenay on the outskirts of Paris as late as August, 1976. Perhaps this is the same relic and it moved from Guyancourt to Chavenay at some point after the lead photo was taken.

Note to self – think outside the envelope!

Good call John, http://www.aviastar.org/air/france/fouga_cm-100.php

and on this drawing one can see the three little glazed panels
http://www.airwar.ru/image/idop/glider/cm10/cm10-2.gif

Good call John, http://www.aviastar.org/air/france/fouga_cm-100.php

It’s a Fouga CM 100.

John

It seems that there were three – possibly four – prototypes of Bréguet 890/1/2 variants. I have found a reference on a French forum to one of the (?) two 890H prototypes flying as late as 1958/59 at Colomb-Béchar (?)(reference to which place I have been unable to find in my gazeteer). As the initial photo was taken in 1963, maybe this is a likely candidate. However still I haven’t been able to find any photo of a Brégeut 890/1/2 with the three glazed panels beneath the main cockpit glazing.

I must admit that I’m not 100% convinced that it’s from a Br.831, unless from a related prototype, even the one shown in the picture seems to have straighter cockpit framing around the windscreens area and possibly a solid panel in the centre cockpit roof postion.
The cockpit shown is completely clear and seems to have a distinctive steady curve throughout its profile, the annoying thing is that it seems quite familiar to me!

maybe the rear

Not easy to ID.
Perhaps we are looking at the wrong end?
Maybe its the rear end of something?

Thanks for the comments,folks. I’m inclined to agree with the Breguet 890/891 suggestion. it was maybe modified to improve the lower angle view from the cockpit. More research required!

Yes, I see what you mean. Presumably the cockpit glazing has been revised at some time during its career. It would be interesting to know if there are any other photos of the Bréguet 891R which show the addition of three lower cockpit windows. That would probably resolve the matter definititively.

Looks a bit like this Breguet Br.891 Mars, http://www.airwar.ru/enc/craft/br891.html
However there does seem to be quite a bit of confusion about the Br.890 Mars/Mercure line on the web, so I can’t be more exact as to what I think it may be.