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Stampe et Vertongen RSV.32

(Redirected fromStampe et Vertongen RSV.32-90)

TheStampe et Vertongen RSV.32[4]was a trainer aircraft produced in Belgium in the early 1920s.[1]Designed originally for theStampe et Vertongenflying school,[5]theBelgian Air Forcebecame a major operator of the type,[6]where it became the first aircraft of entirely Belgian design and manufacture to enter service.[2][3]Many others were purchased by flying clubs and private owners.[7]No RSV.32 was in existence by the end ofWorld War II.[8]

RSV.32
RSV 32-90
Role trainer aircraft
National origin Belgium
Manufacturer Stampe et Vertongen
Designer Alfred Renard
First flight 1923
Primary user Belgian Air Force[1]
Number built 57[1][2](disputed[3])

History

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Jean StampeandMaurice Vertongen,veterans ofWorld War I,founded a flying school atDeurnein 1923.[9]Their research into the training aircraft then available led them to believe that the British-builtCentral Centaur IVwas the best choice for their school.[5]When they discovered that the Centaur IV had just ceased production, their friend, Maurice Boel, introduced them to engineerAlfred Renard,whom Stampe and Vertongen contracted to design a similar aircraft that could be built cheaply and locally.[5]Renard's response was a conventional two-bay biplane with unstaggered wings of equal span.[10]Power was provided by a radial engine in the nose.[10]The student pilot and instructor sat in tandem in a single, open cockpit[10]and communicated through aspeaking tube.[11]The main units of the fixed undercarriage shared a common axle, and the tail was supported by a skid.[10]Construction was of wood throughout, braced with wire and covered in fabric,[8]and stressed to withstand rough treatment by student pilots.[12][13]To reduce costs, many parts were interchangeable, including the struts,longerons,undercarriage legs,[13]and even the upper and lower wings.[12]Initial construction of the prototype commenced in a dance hall inEvere[2][8]and was completed in the hangar of theAdministration de l'Aéronautique[2](the Belgian Aviation Administration) on 23 April 1923,.[13]The aircraft was registeredO-BOELin honour of the friend who introduced Renard to Stampe and Vertongen.[2][13]After the prototype had been tested,King Albert Ipaid a royal visit to Stampe et Vertongen and asked for a joy ride overAntwerpin it.[8]

The RSV.32 was produced between 1923 and 1932[2][11]and the total number built is sometimes given as fifty-seven,[14]however Paul de Meyer, writing forAir-Britain Digestin 1980 called this number "unlikely" and "greatly exaggerated".[3]The type saw service with not only Stampe et Vertongen's school, but flying schools atGosseliesandSaint-Hubertas well.[2]TheBelgian Air Forcepurchased nineteen examples in three batches.[6]These served until 1936, when surviving machines were sold to private owners.[8]Flying clubs that operated the type included the Antwerp Aviation Club[7]and theAéro-Club Royal Belge.[7]At least one private owner added a third seat to the aircraft,[15]and at least three examples were converted to2+2seating[8]with a fuselage modification designed by Renard.[2]This latter configuration was designated theRSV.32/2X2.[2]

Variants

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The RSV.32 was built in at least seven variants. The precise subtype is known for forty-one aircraft:[16]

RSV.32/90
version with 67-kW (90-hp)Anzani 10C[1]engine (at least 9 built).[17]
RSV.32/100
version with 75-kW (100-hp)Renardengine (at least 8 built)
RSV.32/105
version with 78-kW (105-hp)Hermesengine (at least 1 built)
RSV.32/110
version with 82-kW (110-hp)Lorraineengine (at least 19 built, main production version for theBelgian Air Force[11])
RSV.32/120
version with 90-kW (120-hp)Renardengine (at least 2 built)
RSV.32/GII[18]
version with 90-kW (120-hp)de Havilland Gipsyengine, a fuselage oval in cross-section, and extra cabane struts to reduce wire bracing and make the forward cockpit more accessible[19](1 built)
RSV.32/130
version with 97-kW (130-hp)Walterengine (at least 1 built)
RSV.32/2X2[20]
fuselage conversion to provide 2+2 seating (3 converted, including 132/100[15]and 232/120[7])

Additionally, one RSV.32 was to be fitted with an 82-kW (110-hp) Renard engine and possibly amphibious undercarriage, but this machine was never built.[21]

Finally, note that some of these aircraft were converted from other subtypes, so the same airframe might in some cases be counted twice in the production figures.[3]

Operators

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Belgium
Spanish Republic

Specifications (RSV.32/90)

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Data fromJouhaut 1999, p.33, except as noted

General characteristics

  • Crew:two
  • Length:7.35 m (24 ft 1 in)
  • Wingspan:11.20 m (36 ft 9 in)
  • Height:2.80 m (9 ft 2 in)
  • Wing area:32.0 m2(344 sq ft)
  • Empty weight:500 kg (1,100 lb)
  • Gross weight:800 kg (1,800 lb)
  • Powerplant:1 ×Anzani 10C[1],67 kW (90 hp)

Performance

  • Maximum speed:125 km/h (78 mph, 68 kn)
  • Service ceiling:5,000 m (16,000 ft)
  • Rate of climb:2.3 m/s (450 ft/min)

See also

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Related lists

Notes

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  1. ^abcdeThe Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft,p.2955
  2. ^abcdefghiHauet 1984, p.9
  3. ^abcdde Maeyer 1980, p.4
  4. ^Stampe et Vertongen designated their designs with two numbers; the first signifying the wing area of the design in square metres, the second signifying the power of the engine in horsepower (Hauet 1984, p.9). Stampe et Vertongen aircraft designed by Alfred Renard gained the prefix "R" (Hauet 1984, p.7).
  5. ^abcJouhaut 1999, p.26
  6. ^abJouhaut 1999, p.31
  7. ^abcdJouhaut 1999, p.31–32
  8. ^abcdefJouhaut 1999, p.35
  9. ^Jouhaut 1999, p.25
  10. ^abcdJouhaut 1999, p.34
  11. ^abcJouhaut 1999, p.30
  12. ^abHauet 1984, p.10
  13. ^abcdJouhaut 1999, p.29
  14. ^for example, by Jouhaut (1999, p.30), Hauett (1984, p.9), andThe Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft(p.2955)
  15. ^abJouhaut 1999, p.32
  16. ^Jouhaut 1999, p.30, who bases his numbers on Hauet's (1984, p.9)
  17. ^Grey, C.G. (1924).Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1924.London: Sampson, Low, Marston & co Ltd. p. 5b.
  18. ^Taylor (1989, p.839) and Jouhaut (1999, pp.32–33,69–70) name this variant the32/GII.Hauet (1984, p.9) andThe Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft(p.2955) describe the Gipsy-powered version as the32/120,although Hauet distinguishes it from the 90-kW (120-hp) Renard-powered variant.
  19. ^Jouhaut 1999, p.69
  20. ^Jouhaut refers to this conversion (1999, pp.31–32,35) but does not name it
  21. ^de Maeyer 1980, p.5
  22. ^"Spanish Civil War Aircraft".Retrieved2012-04-14.

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related toStampe et Vertongen RSV.32.
  • de Mayer, Paul (January–February 1980). "Built in Belgium: Part 1".Air-Britain Digest.32(1): 3–6.
  • Hauet, André (1984).Les avions Renard.Brussels: Éditions AELR.
  • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft.London: Aerospace Publishing.
  • Jouhaud, Reginald (1999).Les Avions Stampe.Amsterdam: Wimpel.
  • Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989).Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation.London: Studio Editions.
  • Wauthy, Jean-Luc & de Neve, Florian (June 1995). "Les aéronefs de la Force Aérienne Belge, deuxième partie 1919–1935" [Aircraft of the Belgian Air Force].Le Fana de l'Aviation(in French) (305): 28–33.ISSN0757-4169.
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