Blériot-SPAD S.56

Blériot-SPAD · France · first flew 1923 · airliner

The Blériot-SPAD S.56 was a family of French airliners developed in the 1920s as various refinements of the S.33 design.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — WingsMid-mounted, straight
E — Engines1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage9 m fuselage
T — TailConventional

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A single-engined biplane airliner with an all-metal wing. In the S.56/4 the cockpit sits between the engine and the passenger cabin, whereas in earlier S.33 derivatives it was aft of the cabin.

Specifications

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

All S.56 versions shared a newly designed all-metal wing, replacing the wooden wing of earlier related designs, and a redesigned cabin with two rows of double seats in place of the S.33's four single seats in a row. The type first flew on 3 February 1923.

Variants

The S.56/1 had a 260 hp Salmson CM.9 radial, later a 380 hp Gnome & Rhone 9Aa. The S.56/4 had a revised fuselage with the cockpit between engine and cabin and room for six passengers, and the S.56/6 was customised for banner towing.

Where you'll see it

Air Union flew the S.56/3 and S.56/4, and CIDNA flew the S.56/1, /3, /4 and /5. One S.56/6 ended up as a transport in the Spanish Republican Air Force during the Spanish Civil War.

Related aircraft

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