Lachassagne AL 3
Adolphe Lachassagne · France · first flew 1925 · light aircraft
The Lachassagne AL 3 was an experimental 1920s French aircraft designed to test a camber-changing wing meant to extend speed ranges. It was flown only briefly.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 4.7 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Rectangular low wings of aspect ratio 4.3 braced by pairs of near-parallel struts
- Wings and tailplane with a rigid front and a flexible camber-changing rear section
- Splayed M-form undercarriage with large wheels
A small open-cockpit monoplane with a trapezoidal tailplane and an unbalanced round-topped rudder reaching the keel.
Specifications
- The Lachassagne AL 3 has a length of 4.7 m (15 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 6 m (20 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was the first French monoplane with such a wing, and took a long time to build partly for financial reasons. It was not completed until 1925 and flew just before Christmas that year with a 13-15 kW Darracq flat-twin engine. An Anzani engine of similar power was fitted for flights from 20 March 1926.
Variants
Only one AL 3 was built. Lachassagne later built a development, the AL 5.
Where you'll see it
Handling was good over a speed range of about 45-130 km/h, but about a week after the camber tests began the aircraft was badly damaged when its undercarriage collapsed on landing. Lachassagne felt the trials had shown that the approach worked.
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