Paul Schmitt P.S.3

Paul Schmitt P.S.3
Role bomber/trainer
National origin France
Manufacturer Paul Schmitt
Designer Paul Schmitt
Introduction 1915[1]
Status retired
Primary user Aéronautique Militaire
Number built 6[1]

The Paul Schmitt P.S.3 was a French World War I biplane bomber that was built in small numbers but primarily used as a trainer.[1]

Development

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.[2] 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.[2] This allowed for an unusually broad speed range, so that a minimum speed of only 35 km/h (22 mph) was achieved.[2] The fuselage was built up from welded steel tubes, with a square cross section forward tapering to a triangle section aft.[2]

One example was built as a floatplane, however unlike most of the landplanes, it was powered by a 150 hp (110 kW) Canton Unné P9 liquid cooled radial in place of the Gnome rotaries normally used.

Operational history

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.[3]

The floatplane was exported to a private buyer the US in 1916,[1] 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.[4]

Operators

 France
 United States

Specifications (Paul Schmitt P.S.3)

3-view drawing from Flight Magazine of Paul Schmitt P.S.3

Data from Davilla, 1997, p.451

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Length: 10.00 m (32 ft 10 in)
  • Upper wingspan: 17.50 m (57 ft 5 in)
  • Lower wingspan: 13.56 m (44 ft 6 in)
  • Wing Chord: 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
  • Height: 3.15 m (10 ft 4 in)
  • Wing area: 49 m2 (530 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 650 kg (1,433 lb)
  • Gross weight: 1,100 kg (2,425 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Gnome 14 Lambda-Lambda 14 cylinder double-row air-cooled rotary, 120 kW (160 hp)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed Régy 301, 3.00 m (9 ft 10 in) diameter wood fixed pitch propeller[5]

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 116 km/h (72 mph, 63 kn)
  • Stall speed: 35 km/h (22 mph, 19 kn)
  • Range: 460 km (290 mi, 250 nmi)

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Paul Schmitt P.S.3.

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d Davilla, 1997, p.451
  2. ^ a b c d Spooner, 1914, p.1072-1074
  3. ^ "Le grimpeur de Chartres" (in French). 30 March 1914. p. 7. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  4. ^ Baugher, 2019
  5. ^ Hartmann, 2015, p.22

Bibliography