S.F.C.A. Lignel 20

No, that’s a good thread creep as far as I’m concerned always interested in what is around, thanks avion ancien.

I know, John. I have a photograph of F-AJUL as my screensaver!

Creep away. Marboussin’s are an interesting family.

John

At the risk of having a ‘thread creep’ finger pointed at me, and noting Sopwith’s disappointment that none of the S.F.C.A. Lignel 20s survive, might I draw attention to the Mauboussin M.202 F-PAOI – similar in style but more lowly in power – which is a survivor and currently is under restoration at Compèigne by the Cercle des Machines Volantes. Here are a couple of images of her before she passed into her current sympathetic hands!

They are certainly stylish machines and would not look out of place in a Tintin adventure!

Thanks to the kindness of another generous soul, I’ve received some delightful period advertisements for the S.F.C.A. Lignel 20 and 46. The are huge files and if I can reduce them appropriately, I’ll post them here.

Yes you’d have to definitely have to S turn quite a bit but would be ok once you got the the tail up like most tailwheel aeroplanes.

The forward vision when taxying these designs doesn’t look all that generous to me! Colour me timid!!

Here you are, Chris, not just the 10 but the 20 and 30 as well – thanks to Philippe Ricco, who kindly gave me permission to use this photograph. As far as I can see, on the left is the S.F.C.A. Lignel 10; with the Lignel 20 on the right; and the Lignel 30 in the middle. I would assume that the photograph was taken at Buc. I don’t know when it was taken but it should be possible to narrow that by reference to the dates on which, respectively, the three aeroplanes were built and destroyed!

Avion Ancien

that’s what I thought it was just a promotional markings. Just wanted someone else to confirm.
Thanks
Chris

I think that I’ve answered my own question. On http://aircraft-in-focus.com/macchi-m-b-320/ the following is stated:

“VEMA-51” F-OAHN

This aircraft, displayed at the Paris air show in 1951, was labeled as a Société Française de Construction Aéronautique Lignel VEMA-51, which was to be license-built in France from the Macchi design. Most sources say that none of these planned aircraft were actually built, so this may have been a Macchi-built M.B.320 brought to the show to display what a VEMA-51 would look like. It might be the second M.B.320 built, I-MACH, which is recorded as being registered F-OAHN and subsequently F-BDFN in France.

There was also the double monoplane S.F.C.A. Lignel 44 ‘Cross Country’, F-W/B/PAIC, a development of Louis Peyret’s ‘Taupin’. The sole example was destroyed on 31.05.55, when its forward port wing detached and it spun in from 600m, bursting into flames on impact, killing its pilot, Louis Clément. You’ll find a dramatic photograph of its final moments at http://www.as-lashha.com/medias/files/2010-02-23-cf-claude-clement-aviation2.pdf.

As to F-BDHN, could you please say where, Chris, you found reference to this being built by S.F.C.A. as the DGAC website suggests that this was constructed by – or, at least, registered to – S.A.C.A. (SA Société Algérienne de Constructions Aéronautiques) in Algeria in 1951 before passing to SNCASO and LTA, in France, and returning to Algeria in 1959.

Edit: I note that wikipedia says: ‘It was intended that the aircraft would be built in France under licence as the Lignel VEMA-51 but in the end none were built’.

Found reference to SFCA making a Macchi MB.320 as the Lignel VEMA-51.
F-BDHN with VEMA51 SFCA on the tail.
another reference said none were made. So other than the Lignel 46 was any other postwar aircraft.

Chris

Well thanks for finding out their fates avion ancien, shame nothing survives, and thanks John Aeroclub for your last post, they were quite ahead of their time.

A couple of versions of the Mailett Lignel series.

John

Thanks to some very kind and better informed people on a French forum that I use, I can relate the fate of the two S.F.C.A. Lignel 20s.

F-APFI (Nº 1) ‘La Foudre’ was destroyed on 9 July 1937 when, in the course of an attempt on the 2000km record, it suffered a fuel supply problem and had to make a forced landing in a field near Montendre (in the Charente, to the east of the Gironde).

Nº 2 (unregistered) ‘L’Eclair’ evolved to become the Lignel 20S. It was destroyed on landing at Buc in late 1939 in the course of testing a new engine (a Béarn 12.A).

So far, I can only oblige with a drawing, Chris.

Anyone have a picture of the Lignel 10?

Chris

Told you it was a nice looking aeroplane:)

At least we know what it looks like now……!!!