SNCASE SE.161 Languedoc

SNCASE · France · first flew 1939 · airliner

The SNCASE SE.161 Languedoc was a French four-engined airliner, an all-metal low-wing monoplane with twin fins. It was developed from the Bloch MB.160 and carried 33 passengers in its standard layout.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	4 × piston, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	24.26 m fuselage
T — Tail	Twin fin

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Four radial engines in nacelles on the wing leading edges
Twin fins and rudders
Low cantilever wing with retractable underwing main wheels and a tailwheel

A four-engined low-wing airliner with a twin-fin tail, distinctive for its two upright fins and rudders.

Specifications

The SNCASE SE.161 Languedoc has a length of 24.26 m (80 ft).
It has a wingspan of 29.39 m (96 ft).
Its maximum speed is 440 km/h (273 mph).
Typical crew: 5.

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

History

Work began in 1937 as the Bloch MB.161 for Air Afrique, and the prototype F-ARTV first flew on 15 December 1939. Development was slow because of the war, and production resumed after the liberation of France, with the first production aircraft flying in 1945.

Variants

The original aircraft used Gnome-Rhone 14N engines. Air France re-engined its aircraft with Pratt & Whitney R-1830 radials as the SE.161.P7, and a 44-seat version was introduced in 1951.

Where you'll see it

About 100 were built for Air France, the French Air Force and the French Navy, and the type entered Air France service on the Paris to Algiers route on 28 May 1946. Poland's LOT was the only export customer for new aircraft, with five.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 8,606 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.