Albert A-60
Albert A-60
Role	Light sports aircraft Type of aircraft
National origin	France
Manufacturer	Avions Albert
Designer	Edouard Albert
First flight	Late 1930
Number built	2

The Albert A-60 was a single engine, two seat, wooden sports monoplane designed and built in France in the early 1930s. Two were built and flown with three different engines.

Design and development [ edit ]

The A-60 was an all-wood, low wing cantilever monoplane. Its wing was in three parts, with a rectangular centre section and two outer, gently straight tapered panels with semi-elliptical tips. These outer panels were mounted with 4° of dihedral and carried ailerons each of 3.48 metres (11 ft 5 in) span, occupying most of their trailing edges . The wing was built around two spars and was plywood covered. ^[1] The A-60's landing gear was of the tailskid type and each independently mounted mainweel was on a robust, rubber sprung, vertical duralumin leg attached to the forward spar of the outer extremities, with a lighter, angled bracing strut to the rear longeron. The gear had a track of 1.90 metres (6 ft 3 in) and was often entirely contained within vertical trouser fairings . ^{[1] [2]}

The prototype aircraft was fitted with a 52 kW (70 hp), five cylinder Walter NZ 70 (last modification of NZ-60 ) ^[3] radial engine in a rounded nose, with its cylinder heads exposed for cooling. Behind the engine the fuselage , all wood like the wings, was rectangular in section and built around four longerons with plywood surfacing; the upper surface was subdivided longitudinally into a ridge with two sloping faces. There were two open cockpits with small windscreens, one centred at about one-third chord and the other over the trailing edge . Disengagable dual control was fitted. The fuselage tapered towards the tail, where the empennage was conventional. Its parallel chord horizontal tail with rounded tips was placed at mid-fuselage height and there was a quadrant shaped fin and curved rudder hinged at the extreme tail, sloping in below to allow elevator movement. Control surfaces were unbalanced . ^[1]

The A-60 first flew late in 1930. A second aircraft, the A-61 was built with a more powerful, uncowled 71 kW (95 hp) Salmson 7Ac seven cylinder radial engine. ^[4] This made its first flight on 9 September 1931. ^[2] The A-60 was re-engined with a 71 kW (95 hp) Renault 4Pb four cylinder upright inline engine and renamed the A-62 . ^[5] It was flying by September 1931. ^[6]

The extra power of the two new engines naturally improved performance figures : the A-62 was 30 km/h (19 mph) faster at maximum speed and 25 km/h (16 mph) faster cruising and could reach altitudes 2,800 m (9,200 ft) higher. Its range, though, was 25% less. ^[5]

Operational history [ edit ]

Only nineteen days after the first flight of the A-62 it was competing in Le concours national d'avions de tourisme (The national contest for touring aircraft) along with the A-61, a Caudron C.232 Luciole and a Guillemin JG-10 . Designer Edouard Albert flew the A-61 and Sautereau the A-62. ^[6] The Guillemain dropped out early and at the end of the initial flying tests the order was Caudron, A-61 and A-62. The final challenge was a 3,000 km (1,900 mi) tour but during the first leg on 5 October the A-62 crashed, killing the engineer Paul Breyrich and seriously injuring Sautereau. At the end of the tour, at Orly on 15 October, the Caudron was the winner and the A-61 in second place. ^[7]

Not much is known about the later career of the A-61 but in 1999 its remains were rediscovered and it is being restored ^[2] at the Musee Regional de l'Air at the Angers - Loire Airport in Angers . ^[8]

Variants [ edit ]

A-60

First prototype with 52 kW (70 hp) Walter NZ 70 5-cylinder radial engine . ^[1] First flown late 1930. Later Walter Vega 5-cylinder radial engine 63 kW (85 hp).

A-61

Second prototype with 71 kW (95 hp) Salmson 7Ac radial engine . ^[4] First flown 9 September 1931. ^[2]

A-62

First prototype with 71 kW (95 hp) Renault 4Pb 4-cylinder upright inline engine . Flying by September 1931. ^[6]

Specifications (A-60) [ edit ]

Data from Les Ailes 25 December 1930, p.3 ^[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: One pilot
• Capacity: One passenger
• Length: 6.99 m (22 ft 11 in)
• Wingspan: 11.45 m (37 ft 7 in)
• Height: 2.65 m (8 ft 8 in)
• Wing area: 15.0 m ² (161 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 420 kg (926 lb) equipped
• Gross weight: 750 kg (1,653 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Walter NZ 70 ^[3] , 52 kW (70 hp)
• Propellers: 2-bladed

Performance

• Maximum speed: 172 km/h (107 mph, 93 kn)
• Cruise speed: 160 km/h (99 mph, 86 kn)
• Range: 1,000 km (620 mi, 540 nmi) at cruising speed
• Service ceiling: 4,000 m (13,000 ft) practical
• Time to altitude: 18 mins to 2,000 m (6,600 ft)
• Landing speed: 60 km/h (37 mph)
• anding and take-off distances: less than 100 m (330 ft)

References [ edit ]

External links [ edit ]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Albert A-60 .

• Albert Aeronautique Avion Postal A 60 [1]