View Full Version : Bordeaux 1950s
Harry P
31st Oct 2006, 10:00
I am trying to find out some information for a family member and ex pilot. He is trying to identify a large aircraft that he remembers seeing at Bordeaux airport in the early 50's. He thinks it was a pre-war french (large) airline prototype. I haven't got anymore information, but someone out there should know something.
Many thanks
Halcyon Days
31st Oct 2006, 10:47
I took these in Bordeaux in the early 70`s. The aircraft was an Armagnac-of which not too many were built.Its possible that it might have been this as the aircraft had obviously been there for some time and was in a pretty sorry state. It was however a post war aircraft and not pre war?
I believe only twelve were built but they had poor range and performance.
The French aircraft industry did however produce an awful lot of shall we say "unusual" aircraft pre and post war -so without any more information it could be difficult to narrow the search down.
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b67/Maybee123/F-BAVIArmagnacBordeaux2.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b67/Maybee123/F-BAVIArmagnacBordeaux.jpg
PaperTiger
31st Oct 2006, 15:22
The Bloch factory was at Bordeaux.
The Armagnac was post-war.
I'd tend to think it was a SE (MB161) Languedoc:
http://www.1000aircraftphotos.com/Contributions/Trempe/1987L.jpg
Cornish Jack
31st Oct 2006, 19:48
Breguet Deux Ponts (double-decker), perhaps - no photo, I'm afraid.
MReyn24050
31st Oct 2006, 20:02
Cornish Jack
Here is one
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/sabamel/Aircraft/Breguet763DeuxPonts2.jpg
Harry P
2nd Nov 2006, 10:45
Thankyou for your replies, hopefully one of them will prove to be the beast I am looking for.
Cheers
Harry P
17th Apr 2008, 11:09
Thanks, we think that aircraft was a SE (MB161) Languedoc. My father in-law is fairly certain that it wasn't a condor - would they have still been around the airfield in the 50's ?
But thanks again
There were lots of oddball French transport types around early after WW2, most of which didn't achieve commercial success.
Air France bought a substantial number of Languedocs, although they didn't last for too long.
The Armagnac was a more refined type but few were built and they never really got into mainsteam airline operation - just bumbled around with oddball charter operations for a few years.
The Breguet Deux Ponts (alias "Ducks Pants") was a little later. These lasted into the 1970s.
The Latecoere 631 flyng boat - now with 6 engines that was big, and built close to Bordeaux. Never really entered proper service. There was another one-off six-engined flying boat as well.
All these were developments of wartime prototypes.
There was one Condor which diverted to Spain in WW2, was impounded, and ended up with the Spanish Air Force through to early 1950s. Believe it was the last Condor left flying. Could possibly get up to Bordeaux on occasion, but probably not used much due to lack of spares and support.
Air France had a large fleet of Languedocs, in about 1947-52 they were the standard type on Paris-London before the Air France Viscount 700s came along.