Bleriot-SPAD S.33

S.33

Manufacturer: Blériot
First flight: December 12 1920
Primary users: Franco-Roumaine, CMA SNETA
Number built: ca. 41

The Bleriot-SPAD S.33 was a small French airliner developed soon after World War I. A great success, the S.33 dominated its field throughout the 1920s, initially on CMA's Paris-London route, and later on continental routes serviced by Franco-Roumaine. The aircraft was a biplane of conventional configuration whose design owed much to the Blériot company's then-recent fighter designs such as the S.20. Four passengers could be accommodated in an enclosed cabin within the fuselage, and a fifth passenger could ride in the open cockpit beside the pilot.

One interesting development was a sole example converted by CIDNA to act as a blind-flying trainer. A set of controls was installed inside the passenger cabin, the windows of which had been blacked out.

Variants

S.33 -Single-engined passenger transport aircraft, powered by a 260-hp (194-kW) Salmson CM.9 radial piston engine. 41 aircraft built.
S.46 - Improved version of the S.33, powered by a 370-hp (276-kW) Lorraine-Dietrich 12Da engine. 38 built and sold to the Franco-Roumaine Company.
S.48 - A single S.33 temporarily re-engined in 1925, fitted with a 275-hp (205-kW) Lorraine engine.
S.50 - Luxury version with passenger cabin enlarged to six seats, fitted with a 300-hp (224-kW) Hispano-Suiza 8Fb engine. Three were converted from S.33s, plus two all-new aircraft.

Operators

France

Franco-Roumaine (20 aircraft)
CMA (15 aircraft)

Belgium

SNETA (6 aircraft)

Specifications (S.33)

General characteristics

Crew: one pilot
Capacity: 5 passengers
Length: 9.08 m (29 ft 10 in)
Wingspan: 11.66 m (38 ft 3 in)
Height: 3.20 m (10 ft 6 in)
Wing area: 42.2 m² (454 ft²)
Empty weight: 1,050 kg (2,315 lb)
Gross weight: 2,062 kg (4,546 lb)
Powerplant: 1 x— Salmson CM.9 radial engine, 194 kW (260 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 180 km/h (112 mph)
Cruising speed: 160 km/h (100 mph)
Range: 1,060 km (670 miles)
Service ceiling: 3,800 m (12,470 ft)

Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. pp. 163.
World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 890 Sheet 42.
aviafrance.com

Related development S.46 - S.56 - S.66 - S.86 - S.116 - S.126

Bleriot-SPAD S.33 Pictures

Living Warbirds: The best warbirds DVD series.

Source: WikiPedia