Sud-Ouest Bretagne Explained

The Sud-Ouest S.O.30 Bretagne was a 1940s French airliner built by Sud-Ouest.

Design and development

The Bretagne (Engl. "Brittany") was designed by a group of designers and engineers who were based at Cannes from May 1941 following the invasion of France. The design was for a medium capacity civil transport, a twin-engined mid-wing cantilever all-metal monoplane. The prototype (designated the S.O.30N) first flew on 26 February 1945.

Operational history

The initial production version was designated the S.O.30P Bretagne with two versions with different engines. The aircraft operated with a crew of five and could carry between 30 and 43 passengers. A cargo version (the S.O.30C) was produced, with a revised interior and strengthened floor and large cargo door. The aircraft was operated as an airliner, but mainly by the French military forces as a medium transport.

Some aircraft were fitted with two underwing Turbomeca Palas turbojet engines for auxiliary power. Other aircraft were used for engine-trials fitted with the SNECMA Atar 101 and licence-built Rolls-Royce Nene turbojets.

Variants

S.O.30N: Tailwheel undercarriage prototype, c/n 01 built after the 1940 armistice and stored till after the war. The second S.O.30R c/n 02 was built in 1946 and later converted to the S.O.30 Nene, jet powered airliner test-bed.

S.O.30R Bellatrix: Two prototypes of the nosewheel undercarriage production model.

S.O.30C:cargo version, one built with belly loading hatches.

S.O.30P-1:production version with Pratt & Whitney R-2800-B43 engines.

S.O.30P-2:production version with Pratt & Whitney R-2800-CA13 engines.

S.O.30 Nene:One aircraft converted from S.O.30R c/n 02 for use as a testbed, powered by two Rolls-Royce Nenes.

Operators

Military operators

• French Air Force^[1]
• French Navy^[1]

Civil operators

• Air Algérie^[2]

• Aigle Azur^[1]
• Air France^[2]
• COSARA based in French Indo-China^[3]

• Iranian Airways^[2]

• Air Maroc^[2]

References

Bibliography

• Bridgeman, Leonard. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1953–54. London: Jane's All The World's Aircraft Publishing Company, 1953.
• Book: Chillon . Jacques . Dubois . Jean-Pierre . Wegg . John . French Post-War Transport Aircraft . 1980 . Air-Britain . Tonbridge, UK . 0-85130-078-2. amp.
• Gaillard. Pierre. Marchand. Alain. Le SO 30P Bretagne: la carrière civile (fin). Le Fana de l'Aviation . June 1988 . 223 . 42–46 . 0757-4169 . fr. The SO 30P: The Civilian Transport (End). amp.
• Gaillard. Pierre. Marchand. Alain. Le SO 30P Bretagne (3) . Le Fana de l'Aviation . June 1990 . 247 . 34–38 . 0757-4169 . fr. The SO 30P Bretagne (3): dans le Armée de l'Air . amp.
• Stroud, John. European Transport Aircraft since 1910. London: Putnam, 1966.

Further reading

• Book: Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1947 . Bridgman . Leonard . 1947 . Sampson Low, Marston & Co . London . 141c-142c.

Notes and References

1. Stroud 1966, p. 203.
2. Stroud 1966, p. 202.
3. Stroud 1966, pp. 202–203.