TheStampe et Vertongen SV.4(also known incorrectly as theStampe SV.4or justStampe) is aBelgiantwo-seat trainer/tourerbiplanedesigned and built byStampe et Vertongen.The aircraft was also built under licence inFranceandFrench Algeria.
| SV.4 | |
|---|---|
 SV-4CD-EBSH | |
| General information | |
| Type | Two-seat trainer |
| Manufacturer | Stampe et Vertongen |
| Designer | George Ivanov |
| Status | Privately owned, or in museums |
| Primary user | French Air Force |
| Number built | 1050 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1947 (Belgian Air Force) |
| First flight | 1933 |
| Retired | 1975 |
History
edit
TheSV.4was designed as a biplane tourer/training aircraft in the early 1930s, byStampe et VertongeninAntwerp.The first model was theSV.4A,an advanced aerobatic trainer, followed by theSV.4Bwith redesigned wings and the 130 hp/97 kWde Havilland Gipsy Majorengine.
Only 35 aircraft were built before the company was closed during theSecond World War.After the war, between 1948 and 1955, the successor companyStampe et Renardbuilt a further 65 aircraft as trainers for theBelgian Air Force.
A licensedSV.4Cversion was built inFrancebySNCAN(Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Nord), and inAlgeriabyAtelier Industriel de l'Aéronautique d'Alger,the two firms completing a combined total of 940 aircraft. The postwar SV.4Cs were widely used by French military units as a primary trainer. Many also served in aeroclubs in France, numbers of which were later sold second hand to the United Kingdom and other countries. The Rothmans Aerobatic Team flew SV.4C aircraft from 1970 to 1973.[1]
Variants
edit- SV.4
- prototype
- SV.4A
- aerobatic trainer with 140 hp/104 kWRenault 4P-O5 engine
- SV.4B
- improved version with 130 hp/97 kWde Havilland Gipsy Major I.Postwar trainers for the BAF were fitted with more powerfulCirrus Majoror Gipsy Major X engine
- SV.4C
- licence-built version with 140 hp/104 kWRenault 4Peiengine
- SV.4D
- one aircraft re-engined with 175 hp/130 kWMathis G.4Rengine
A few SV.4s have been fitted with other engines, such as theLycoming O-320,Ranger 6orLOM 332b.At least one aircraft fitted with a Lycoming engine (OO-KAT) has been referred to by its owners as anSV.4E.[2]
Military operators
edit
- Royal Air Force
- No. 510 Squadron RAFoperated one aircraft "liberated" by Belgian pilots Léon Divoy andMichel Donnetin 1941, and flown from occupied Belgium to England.[3]
Specifications (Post-War SV.4B)
editData fromFactory drawings and[1]
General characteristics
- Crew:2
- Length:6.8 m (22 ft 4 in)
- Wingspan:8.385 m (27 ft 6 in)
- Height:2.775 m (9 ft 1 in)
- Wing area:18.06 m2(194.4 sq ft)
- Empty weight:520 kg (1,146 lb)
- Max takeoff weight:770 kg (1,698 lb)
- Powerplant:1 ×de Havilland Gipsy Major X4-cylinder air-cooled inverted in-line piston engine, 108 kW (145 hp)
- Propellers:2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed:188 km/h (117 mph, 102 kn)
- Cruise speed:140 km/h (87 mph, 76 kn)
- Range:420 km (260 mi, 230 nmi)
- Service ceiling:6,000 m (20,000 ft)
In popular culture
editA modified SV.4 appears in the movieIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade,sporting a fictional German paint scheme and a machine gun turret in the aft cockpit.
See also
editAircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
References
edit
- ^"Rothmans Aerobatic Team".ADM.Retrieved2023-12-13.
- ^Stampe & Vertongen museumArchived2007-07-17 at theWayback Machine
- ^OO-ATD and the flight to freedom
Further reading
edit- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985).Orbis Publishing.
- Pacco, John. "Stampe & Vertongen SV-4B"Belgisch Leger/Armee Belge: Het Militair Vliegwezen/l'Aeronautique Militaire 1930-1940.Aartselaar, Belgium, 2003, pp. 85–86.ISBN90-801136-6-2.