Bloch MB.120
Société des Avions Marcel Bloch · France · first flew 1932 · transport aircraft
The Bloch MB.120 was a French three-engine colonial transport aircraft built by Société des Avions Marcel Bloch during the 1930s. It was an all-metal high-wing cantilever monoplane.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 3 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 15.3 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- All-metal high-wing cantilever monoplane
- Three radial engines
- Crew of three with up to ten passengers
A three-engined high-wing monoplane with three 300 hp Lorraine 9Na Algol radials. Standard accommodation was a crew of three and up to ten passengers.
Specifications
- The Bloch MB.120 has a length of 15.3 m (50 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 20.54 m (67 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 250 km/h (155 mph).
- Typical crew: 3.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
The design was selected by the French government for transport use in French overseas territories, and the prototype was re-worked from the MB.71. It first flew in 1932.
Variants
The MB.120.01 was the first prototype. The production MB.120 was the three-engined colonial transport, of which ten were built.
Where you'll see it
The aircraft entered operation in 1934 for Air Afrique, a new airline set up by the French government on 11 May 1934. Six were for civil use and four for the French Air Force, and both served only in French Africa. The civil aircraft normally carried four passengers, with the rest of the space filled with mail.
Related aircraft
- Bloch MB.141
- Bloch MB.60/61
- Bloch MB.500
- Bloch MB.480
- Chyetverikov MDR-3
- Couzinet 70 Arc-en-Ciel
- Curtiss-Reid Courier
- Gloster TC.33
AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 8,606 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.