Bloch MB.300 Pacifique explained

The Bloch MB.300 Pacifique (a.k.a. La Grosse Julie, "Big Julie") was a French all-metal three-engine monoplane that was developed as an airliner for Air France . A single prototype was produced by Société des Avions Marcel Bloch in 1935, and was eventually rejected by Air France in 1938 in favour of the Dewoitine D.620.

Design and development

The first flight was made in mid-November, 1935 at the Villacoublay airfield which led to the prototype (then temporarily registered as F-AONB pending its airworthiness certificate being issued) undergoing a series of modifications in early 1936 then again in March 1937 which reduced the wingspan and increased the size of the tail while the number of passengers was reduced from 30 to 24. After the certificate of airworthiness was issued, the sole prototype was registered as F-AOUI.

Testing by Air France lasted until January 1938, when it was definitively rejected for service, despite ownership of the aircraft having been transferred to Air France. Its fate is unknown and was probably scrapped, but according to a report of questionable reliability, it may have been delivered to Spain.[1]

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: DassaultAviation.com MB.300 page . 2009-08-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090105173907/http://www.dassault-aviation.com/en/passion/aircraft/civil-bloch-aircraft/mb-300.html?L=1 . 2009-01-05 . dead .