The Lioré et Olivier LéO H-13 was a French biplane two-engine flying boat of the 1920s, built in passenger and military variants.
Development
The LeO H-13 was constructed by
Lioré et Olivier
Lioré-et-Olivier was a French manufacturer of aircraft of the 20th century, founded in 1912 by Fernand Lioré and Henri Olivier.
History
The ''Société de Constructions Aéronautiques d'hydravions Lioré-et-Olivier'' had three factories, loca ...
in Levallois-Perret factory, for an order of the French Aeronavale airlines. The prototype was flown in July 1922. From 1923 23 passenger aircraft were built LeO H-13A.
Next, military variants were developed: reconnaissance-bomber LeO H-13B-3 and trainer LeO H-13E. They differed in fuselage configuration, because the H-13B-3 had an open cockpit for a pilot only behind a lower wing, while the H-13E had an open cockpit for a trainee and instructor seating side-by-side, in front of wings. Both had open machine gun positions in the nose and behind the wings. The H-13E could be also used as a reconnaissance aircraft. From late 1923 20 H-13B-3 were built (nos. 1-20) and 10 H-13E (nos. 21-30).
Variants
''Data from:'' - Lioré et Olivier
;LéO H-13
:Prototype
;LeO H-13bis:
;LéO H-13A
:Passenger variant, 3 built
;LéO H-13B-3
:Reconnaissance-bomber variant, 20 built.
;LéO H-13E
:Trainer variant, 10 built.
;LeO H-132:2 built, powered by 2x
Hispano-Suiza 8Aa
The Hispano-Suiza 8 was a water-cooled V8 SOHC aero engine introduced by Hispano-Suiza in 1914, and was the most commonly used liquid-cooled engine in the aircraft of the Entente Powers during the First World War. The original Hispano-Suiza 8A ...
engines.
;LeO H-133:4 built, powered by 2x
Renault 12F
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...
engines.
;LeO H-134:2 built, powered by 1x
Lorraine 12Eb
The Lorraine 12E Courlis was a W-12 (broad arrow) aero engine produced by the French company Lorraine-Dietrich during the 1920s and 1930s.
Variants
;12E:
;12Eb:
;12Ebr:
;12Ed:
;12Edr:
;12Ee:
;12Ew:The standard Eb fitted with a supplementary su ...
engines.
;LeO H-135:7 built, powered by 2x
Hispano-Suiza 8Ab
The Hispano-Suiza 8 was a water-cooled V8 SOHC aero engine introduced by Hispano-Suiza in 1914, and was the most commonly used liquid-cooled engine in the aircraft of the Entente Powers during the First World War. The original Hispano-Suiza ...
engines.
;LeO H-136:12 built for
Aeronavale
;Leo H-14:Design studies for a 5-seat version of the H-13, not completed due to lack of interest from airlines.
Service
Passenger H-13A were used over the Mediterranean Sea.
In the French Navy, H-13 were quickly withdrawn for training purpose, because of weak structure and low manufacturing quality.
In 1924-1925 two H-13B3 and two H-13E were sold to Poland and used in
Naval Aviation Unit (''MDLot'') in
Puck from mid-1925. One of H-13E was used for a short time in a River Flotilla in
Pińsk
Pinsk ( be, Пі́нск; russian: Пи́нск ; Polish: Pińsk; ) is a city located in the Brest Region of Belarus, in the Polesia region, at the confluence of the Pina River and the Pripyat River. The region was known as the Marsh of Pins ...
. The first H-13B-3 no. 1-1 was withdrawn in 1929, next two (nos. 1-2 and 1-3) in 1931, while the last H-13E, no. 1-4, crashed on 29 July 1931 over the land near Puck.
Description
Two-engine biplane flying boat of wooden construction. Wooden framed fuselage, plywood covered, rectangular in cross-section, with a flat bottom with a single step. Two-spar rectangular wings, covered with plywood (in front) and canvas. A lower wing attached to the fuselage, an upper wing above it, mounted on struts, with two engines between wings, driving tractor propellers. Two floats under a lower wing. Conventional braced
empennage
The empennage ( or ), also known as the tail or tail assembly, is a structure at the rear of an aircraft that provides stability during flight, in a way similar to the feathers on an arrow.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third ed ...
. Two 150 hp radial engines Hispano-Suiza 8E.
Armament: two twin 7.7 mm Lewis machine guns and 4 bombs up to 25 kg below a lower wing.
Operators
;
*
French Navy
The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
;
*
Polish Navy
Specifications (LeO H-13B-3)
References
Bibliography
*
*
* Sankowski, Wojciech: "Pierwsze Francuzy" in: ''Lotnictwo z szachownicą'' nr 20
External links
Lioré et Olivier at Aviafrance
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liore et Olivier LeO H-13
1920s French bomber aircraft
1920s French airliners
H-013
Flying boats
Biplanes
Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1922