10/31/2011. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "Benjamin Wassmer formed the Société Wassmer in 1905 as a specialised woodworking organisation - but the company's entry into aircraft manufacture did not come until 1955 when it embarked on production of a batch of basic Jodel D.112 Club two-seaters at its factory in Issoire (Puy de Dôme), that was renamed Wassmer-Aviation SA. The D.112s were followed by the improved Jodel D.120 Paris-Nice which was a refined version of the Jodel D.119.

A new aircraft appeared in 1959. The Wassmer WA.40 Super IV was a smart low-wing tube and fabric design with a retractable tricycle landing gear and four seats under a clear sliding canopy. It was powered by an 180 hp Lycoming O-360-AIA engine, and was offered with varying standards of equipment as the WA.40 Super IV 'Sancy', 'President', 'Pariou' and 'Commandant de Bord'. The prototype was registered F-BIXX and first flew on June 8, 1959, and was followed by 51 production aircraft.

The initial production WA.40 was followed, in due course, by 57 examples of the WA.40A Super IV, which had a swept tail and lengthened nose, and by 58 examples of the economy version WA.41 Baladou, which had a fixed landing gear. The first WA.41, with c/n 59, was registered F-BNAZ.

It was clear, however, that the WA.40 would benefit from higher power than the 180 hp engine which had been fitted thus far and Wassmer produced the Super 4/21 prototype which used a 235 hp Lycoming O-540 and featured a revised engine cowling, modified landing gear, electrically-operated flaps and streamlined cockpit canopy. The prototype (c/n 401) first flew in March 1967 as F-BOBZ and received its CofA on November 15, 1967.

The 29 production WA.4/21 examples had a 250 hp Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 engine and were hence designated WA.4/21-250 (otherwise known as the WA.41-250). The original prototype was removed from the register in 1976 as 'destroyed', however, it reappeared as a WA.4/21-250, registered F-BOFC, as pictured above."