History Brief, by Alfred Damen, edited by Johan Visschedijk August 12, 2006

Sud-Est/Sud-Aviation/Aérospatiale Caravelle

The roots of the unsurpassed elegant and sleek design of the Caravelle, one of the icons of French aeronautical engineering can be traced to a memorandum issued in 1951 by the French Secretariat General of Commercial and Civil Aviation. This memorandum solicited design studies for a medium range jet-transport capable of transporting 52 passengers or a 13,228 to 15,432 lb (6000 - 7000 kg) payload over distances between 994 and 1243 mls (1600 and 2000 km) at a cruising speed of 385 mph (620 kmh). Six companies responded and on July 6, 1953 a contract for building 2 flying and 2 static prototypes was awarded to Sud-Est (Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Sud-Est = SNCASE) for their X-210 design that was redesignated S.E.210. Sud-Est was to become Sud-Aviation in 1957, Sud-Aviation merged into Aérospatiale in 1970. The name Caravelle was attached to the project some weeks after the contract was awarded. Design work on the aircraft started in 1952 under the guidance of Sud-Est's chief engineer Pierre Satre. The original design study X-200 (a tri-jet configuration featuring SNECMA Atar turbojets) was changed to X-210 (a twin-jet configuration featuring Rolls-Royce RA26 Avon turbojets). The design was truly unorthodox having both engines mounted at the rear end of the fuselage, an aeronautical first. A license was obtained to incorporate the graceful de Havilland DH-106 Comet nose- and cockpit design. The first prototype was rolled out of the Toulouse factory on April 21, 1955; the first flight took place on May 27, 1955 with a crew consisting of Pierre Nadot (Chief Test Pilot), André Moynet (co-pilot), Roger Beteille (test engineer) and Jean Avril (flight engineer). Extreme caution was execised by the French manufacturer, despite the very sucessful flight tests, to determine that the Caravelle would not suffer the fate of the Comet in its series of disasters. Over a period of nearly 4 years Sud-Est/Sud-Aviation carried out a prolonged series of static and fatigue tests. As a result the fuselage was lengthened by 4 ft 7.5 in (1,41 m) for the first production series, increasing seat capacity to 64 in two classes. The first production Caravelles were powered by 2 slightly more powerful Rolls-Royce Avon 29 Mk 522 engines. The Caravelle was a pioneer aircraft in many ways: it was the first short/medium range jetliner of the world, the first jetliner produced in France, the first jetliner with hydraulic controls, and as mentioned before the first jetliner with rear-fuselage mounted engine pods. Certificated on April 2, 1959, the superb flying characteristics were dramatically demonstrated on April 16 when the captain of the Air France Caravelle I "Lorraine" climbed to an altitude of 39,370 ft (12,000 m) directly over Orly airport, Paris, cut the engines to idle power and after an unpowered glide-flight of forty-six minutes, touched down without a hitch at Dijon Airport 165 mls (265km) away. On May 12, 1959 Air France inaugurated its European jet services with the Caravelle I on its Paris- Rome-Istanbul route. SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System) became the first customer outside France and started operations in 1960. Thereafter the Caravelle was rapidly adopted by many other European airlines such as Alitalia, Finnair, Iberia, SABENA, Swissair, etc and soon became a familiar sight on all major European airports. Ordered by at least forty-six operators a total of 280 production Caravelles of various types were built between 1956 and 1973. Break-even was reached after selling 200 aircraft and the Caravelle became the first European jetliner to be produced at a profit for the manufacturer. The Caravelle was used by at least 120 operators between 1959 and 2004, mainly in Europe and the Middle East. A number of Governments and Air Forces used Caravelles as military (VIP) transports. A notable example is c/n 141, purchased by the Elysée in 1963 as a personal transport for General De Gaulle. This aircraft is currently being restored at Le Bourget. An exceptional case is the Swedish AF which has operated two ex SAS Caravelles for many years as ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) platforms. The 1973 energy crisis and the advent of more fuel-efficient types caused the type to be phased out from the mainline routes during the late seventies and early eighties. Subsequently many Caravelles were sold to regional or charter operators around the world. During the late nineties a number of Caravelles ended up in Africa and South America. On December 31, 2004 Airbus France (the successor to Aérospatiale) issued a warning to all known remaining Caravelle operators that no further technical support or spares would be provided and safe operation of the type therefore could no longer be guaranteed. Some reports suggest that 2 Caravelle 10s are still operated by Waltair of Kinshasha. A number of Caravelles still exists as museum exhibits or static displays. One Super Caravelle is kept functioning in Sweden by a group of volunteers who want to restore the aircraft to flying condition. Sud-Aviation SE 210 Caravelle Ron Dupas Collection Aérospatiale Caravelle 12 Alfred Damen Collection

Sud-Est S.E.210 Caravelle model

Caravelle: 2 prototypes built, 52 seats, two 10,000 lb (4,536 kg) st Rolls-Royce Avon RA.26 Mk.521 turbojets, first flown May 27, 1955, also 2 static test airframes

Sud-Aviation SE 210 Caravelle models

Caravelle I: Caravelle IA: Caravelle III: Caravelle VIN: Caravelle VIR: Caravelle VII: Caravelle 10A: Caravelle 10B: Caravelle 10R: Caravelle 11R: 19 built, stretched by 4 ft 7.5 in (1,41 m), 64 seats, two 10,500 lb (4,763 kg) st Rolls-Royce Avon RA.29 Mk.522 turbojets, first flown May 18, 1958, all but one converted to Caravelle III 13 built, 64 seats, two 10,500 lb (4,763 kg) st Rolls-Royce Avon RA.29/1 Mk.526 turbojets, first flown Februar 11, 1960, all converted to Caravelle III 78 built, 72 seats, two 11,400 lb (5,171 kg) st Rolls-Royce Avon RA.29/3 Mk.527 turbojets, first flown December 30, 1959, 5 converted to Caravelle VIN 53 built, 72 seats, two 12,200 lb (5,534 kg) st Rolls-Royce Avon RA.29/6 Mk.531 turbojets, first flown September 10, 1960 56 built, 76 seats, two 12,600 lb (5,715 kg) st Rolls-Royce Avon RA.29/6 Mk.533R turbojets with thrust reversers, first flown February 6, 1961 1 Caravelle III (c/n 42) re-engined by General Electric with two 16,100 lb (7,303 kg) st CJ-805-23 turbofans, first flown December 29, 1960 1 built, 96 seats, two 16,100 lb (7,303 kg) st General Electric CJ-805-23C turbofans, revised wing and windows, rear-mounted APU, first flown August 31, 1962, also known as Caravelle Horizon 22 built, 104 seats, Caravelle VIR stretched by 3 ft 3.5 in (1,00 m), two 14,000 lb (6,350 kg) st Pratt & Whitney JT8D-1 turbofans, first flown March 3, 1964, also known as Super Caravelle and Super B 22 built, 104 seats, Caravelle VIR with two 14,000 lb (6,350 kg) st Pratt & Whitney JT8D-1 turbofans, first flown January 18, 1965 6 built, 50 seats/2,341 cu.ft (66,3 m3) cargo hold in passenger/cargo combination, Caravelle 10R stretched by 2 ft 0.6 in (0,93 m), two 14,000 lb (6,350 kg) st Pratt & Whitney JT8D-7 turbofans with thrust reversers, first flown August 21, 1967

Aérospatiale Caravelle model

Caravelle 12: 12 built, 140 seats, Caravelle 10B stretched by 10 ft 6.8 in (3,22 m), two 14,500 lb (6,577 kg) st Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9 turbofans, first flown October 12, 1970

Specifications (Sud-Aviation SE 210 Caravelle III)

Type: Engine: Span: Length: Height: Wing area: Empty weight: Max T/O weight: Cruise speed: Ceiling: Range: Medium range jet airliner Two 11,400 lb (5,171 kg) st Rolls-Royce Avon RA.29/3 Mk.527 turbojets 112 ft 6.4 in (34.30 m) 105 ft 0.2 in (32.01 m) 28 ft 7.3 in (8.72 m) 1,579.07 sq.ft (146.7 sq.m) 53,319 lb (24,185 kg) 101,413 lb (46,000 kg) 500 mph (805 km/h) at 35,000 ft (10,668 m) 39,370 ft (12,000 m) 1,019 mls (1,640 km) at max. weight