The P.S.3 was unusual in that the entire wing cellule was designed to have its angle of incidence adjusted from 0° to 12° while in flight.[1] When set at the maximum, this gave the aircraft a pronounced back-stagger. This was possible because the wing was attached to the fuselage by a single pivot, and controlled by a jackscrew in the cockpit.[1] This allowed for an unusually broad speed range, so that a minimum speed of only was achieved.[1] The fuselage was built up from welded steel tubes, with a square cross section forward tapering to a triangle section aft.[1]
One example was built as a floatplane, however unlike most of the landplanes, it was powered by a Canton Unné P9 liquid cooled radial in place of the Gnome rotaries normally used.
Although intended as a bomber, it was only ever built in small numbers, and was quickly relegated to use as a trainer, partly because the Aéronautique Militaire had already chosen the Voisin III as their standard bomber.
Victorin Garaix set a number of speed and height records while carrying passengers in 1914.[2]
The floatplane was exported to a private buyer the US in 1916, only to later be taken on strength by the United States Navy in April 1917 with the serial A-52, however it was used primarily as an instructional airframe at Pensacola for training groundcrew.[3]