Salmson 3

Sal 3 C.1
Role	Fighter
National origin	France
Manufacturer	Salmson
First flight	1917
Status	Abandoned
Number built	1
Developed from	Salmson 2 A.2

The Salmson 3 C.1 was a French World War I biplane fighter aircraft developed by Salmson which lost out in competition to the SPAD XIII and Morane-Saulnier AI.

Design[]

The Sal 3 C1 was a biplane of all-wood construction, originally built with a 230 hp (170 kW) Salmson 9Z, but re-engined with a 260 hp (190 kW) Salmson 9Zm in an effort to rectify deficiencies in performance.^[1]

Flight tests began in late 1917, but pilots complained of poor visibility and difficulties operating the machine. Although the Salmson 3 prototype was returned to the factory for modifications, further tests were unable remedy the deficiencies sufficiently, and the French military judged the Salmson 3 to be inferior to the SPAD XIII in performance.^[1]

Specifications (Sal 3 C1)[]

Data from Salmson aircraft of World War I;^[2] Airwar : Salmson Sal.3^[3]

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 6.4 m (21 ft 0 in)
Wingspan: 9.85 m (32 ft 4 in)
Height: 2.48 m (8 ft 2 in)
Wing area: 23.936 m² (257.64 sq ft)
Empty weight: 696.7 kg (1,536 lb)
Gross weight: 1,026.7 kg (2,263 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Salmson 9Zm 9-cylinder water-cooled radial piston engine, 190 kW (260 hp)
Propellers: 2-bladed Ratmanoff CUH

Performance

Maximum speed: 215 km/h (134 mph, 116 kn) at 2,000 m (6,600 ft)

207 km/h (129 mph; 112 kn) at 4,000 m (13,000 ft)

202 km/h (126 mph; 109 kn) at 5,000 m (16,000 ft)

190 km/h (120 mph; 100 kn) at 6,000 m (20,000 ft)

Cruise speed: 182 km/h (113 mph, 98 kn)
Range: 350 km (220 mi, 190 nmi)
Service ceiling: 7,000 m (23,000 ft)
Time to altitude: 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in 2.73 minutes

2,000 m (6,600 ft) in 5.43 minutes

4,000 m (13,000 ft) in 13.28 minutes

5,000 m (16,000 ft) in 21 minutes

6,000 m (20,000 ft) in 34.1 minutes

Armament

Guns: 2 x fixed, forward-firing, synchronised 7.7 mm (0.30 in) Vickers machine guns

References[]

^ ^a ^b Davilla, James J (1997). French aircraft of the First World War. Boulder: Flying Machines Press. pp. 446–447. ISBN 0-9637110-4-0.
^ Owers, Colin A.; Jon S. Guttman; James J. Davilla (2001). Salmson aircraft of World War I. Boulder, Colorado. p. 101. ISBN 1-891268-16-3.
^ "Sal.3". airwar.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2019-03-10.

[Davilla-1] Davilla, James J (1997). French aircraft of the First World War. Boulder: Flying Machines Press. pp. 446–447. ISBN 0-9637110-4-0.

[Guttman-2] Owers, Colin A.; Jon S. Guttman; James J. Davilla (2001). Salmson aircraft of World War I. Boulder, Colorado. p. 101. ISBN 1-891268-16-3.

[airwar-3] "Sal.3". airwar.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2019-03-10.

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