M.Hardy. Gliders & Sailplanes of the world

Air 100

  This French high performance single-seater was designed and produced just after the war by Arsenal de I'Aeronautique, perhaps better known for the VB 10 single-seater fighter-bomber powered by two Hispano-Suiza 12Z engines mounted ДальшеMore>>> in tandem in the fuselage, and for the jet-engined VG 70 and VG 90. The Air 100 was designed for the French National Gliding Centres and clubs, and was a cantilever high wing monoplane of mainly spruce and plywood construction. The 18m span wing featured slotted ailerons and spoiler-type flaps, and the landing gear consisted of a central monowheel with a landing skid fore and aft of it, plus a tail skid. An Air 100 flown by Eric Nessler setup a new French record for distance in a straight line of 311 miles (501 km) at Wichita Falls, USA, on 14 July 1947. The final production version was the Air 102, and Arsenal de I'Aeronautique later became SFECMAS and was absorbed into SNCA du Nord towards the end of 1954.


Data: Air 100
Span: 59ft 0in
Length: 26ft 4in
Wing area: 194 sqft
Aspect ratio: 18.0
Empty weight: 535 lb
Max weight: 745 lb
Normal gliding speed: 39.7mph