The Stampe et Vertongen RSV.22[1] was a training biplane produced in Belgium in the 1920s.[2] [3]
The RSV.22 was a conventional, single-bay biplane with staggered wings of unequal span that were braced with N-struts near their tips.[4] The fixed undercarriage consisted of two mainwheels that were joined by a common through axle, plus a tailskid.[4] The student pilot and the instructor sat in open cockpits in tandem[2] [4] that were fitted with dual controls. Construction was of mixed materials, with metal used for the undercarriage, engine mount, and cabane struts.[4] The control surfaces were operated by a rigid linkage made of dural tube.[4] The horizontal stabilizer was adjustable in flight, using a lever in the cockpit to adjust the aircraft's trim.[4] Incorrect use of this latter feature led to a number of accidents.[4] The base model RSV 22/180 was powered by a 134-kW (180-hp) Hispano-Suiza engine, but the aircraft was designed to use powerplants of up to 220 kW (300 hp).[4] The RSV 22/200 variant used a 150-kW (200-hp) Renard-built radial engine in place of the Hispano-Suiza.[4] [3]
The Belgian Air Force purchased 20 examples of the RSV 22/180.[4] In 1928, Lt Edmond Thieffry and SLt Philippe Quersin piloted a civil-registered RSV 22/180 (registration O-BAJE) on an attempt at a long-distance flight to Africa.[4] They departed Deurne on 26 June, attempting to reach Kinshasa.[4] Bad weather forced them to land at Mourmelon, France, only 230km (140miles) away. Resuming their journey, they were forced down a second time, this time in a marsh at Clapier, near Vauvert, still in France.[4] They abandoned the attempt at this point and successfully returned to Belgium.[4]