SFCA Maillet 20
Société Française de Constructions Aéronautiques (SFCA) · France · first flew 1935 · light aircraft
The SFCA Maillet 20 was a French three-seat tourer built in 1935. It was the first design of the Société Française de Constructions Aéronautiques, which was set up in 1934 to build light aircraft designed by André Maillet.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Three seats in tandem under continuous multi-panel glazing running into a raised rear fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Low-wing cantilever monoplane with a rectangular centre section and tapered outer panels ending in semi-elliptical tips
- Three seats in tandem under continuous multi-panel glazing running into a raised rear fuselage
- Inverted six-cylinder inline engine in the nose and cantilever main legs enclosed in fairings
Look for a low-wing three-seater with one long glazed canopy that blends into a raised rear fuselage. The tailplane sits halfway up the fuselage and the rounded rudder reaches down to the keel.
Specifications
- The SFCA Maillet 20 has a length of 8 m (26 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 10 m (33 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 261 km/h (162 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
The Maillet 20 was a direct development of the earlier Maillet-Nening MN-A, a three-seat low-wing monoplane that first flew in December 1933. It first flew on 24 March 1935 with Louis Massotte at the controls, and two were built. It had an all-wooden structure with a 180 hp Regnier R 6 inverted inline engine.
Variants
The Maillet 201 was a very similar trainer with automatic two-speed propellers, of which the Armée de l'Air bought 30. The Maillet 21 was a rebuild with the pilot moved to the rearmost seat. The Maillet-Lignel 20 added a retractable undercarriage, and five were built.
Where you'll see it
The Armée de l'Air ordered 30 of the trainer version for training and liaison. Two Maillets competed in the July 1935 12 heures d'Angers, and several were raced.
Related aircraft
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