Potez 40
Potez · France · first flew 1931 · transport aircraft
The Potez 40 was a French three-engined, braced high-wing, all-metal monoplane built for colonial transport and policing duties.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 3 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Braced high wing, rectangular in plan with rounded tips, with parallel strut pairs to the lower fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Braced high wing, rectangular in plan with rounded tips, with parallel strut pairs to the lower fuselage
- Three uncowled radial engines: one in the nose and two on the forward wing struts
- Corrugated duralumin skin and a flat-sided fuselage with an open dorsal gunner position
Look for a corrugated-metal high-wing trimotor with the outer engines slung on the wing struts and the main wheels mounted below them.
Specifications
- The Potez 40 has a length of 14.4 m (47 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 18.5 m (61 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 213 km/h (132 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was built to a French government programme and first flew at Méaulte around the end of February 1931. It was flown to the military test centre at Villacoublay in May 1931 and returned for competitive tests in late 1932.
Variants
The Type 40-01 had Salmson 9Ab radials, the 40-02 had Lorraine Algol radials and the 40-03 was a commercial transport with Gnome-Rhône 7K Titan Major radials.
Where you'll see it
Only one was built. It was Potez's last three-engined design, and development was abandoned by 1935 when the airframe was offered for sale.
Related aircraft
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