The Max Plan PF.204 Busard was a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

-built light sporting monoplane of the early 1950s. Following some modifications it was redesignated as PF.214; a planned derivative, the PF.215, was never made. The plane led to the subsequent construction of the Lefebvre Busard, a single-seat racing aircraft built marketed for homebuilding.

Development

The PF.204 Busard was designed and built by Monsieur Max Plan for personal use as a racing and sporting monoplane. The PF.204 was of all-wood construction with plywood skin. The aircraft was fitted with a fixed cantilever

undercarriage Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include: *The landing gear of an aircraft. *The ch ...

enclosed by light alloy fairings.

Operational history

Only one example of the Busard was completed in 1952. By 1956 it had received several modifications, the most noticeable being a revised engine cowling and enlarged cockpit; at this point it was redesignated the PF. 214.Bridgman 1956 p.145 At that time there were plans to replace the Minié with a 90 hp (67 kW) Continental C90 4-cylinder horizontally opposed engine, producing the PF.215. After some years of active flying, it was placed in storage at Mitry-Mory airfield on the northeast outskirts of Paris by May 1957. It no longer appeared on the French civil aircraft register by 1964. By 2006 the aircraft was in storage at the Musée Regional de l'Air,

Angers - Loire Airport Angers (, , ) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Anjou until the French Revolution. The inhabitants of both the city and the prov ...

, France.Ogden 2006, p. 135

Variants

;Max Plan PF.204 Busard :The original racer, designed and built by Max Plan, powered by a Minié 4.DC.32 h4-cyl. horizontally opposed piston engine. ;Max Plan PF.214 Busard :The sole MP.204 re-designated after modifications to the engine cowling and an enlarged cockpit. ;Max Plan PF.215 Busard :A planned derivative to have been powered by a Continental C90 4-cyl. horizontally opposed piston engine.

Specifications (PF.204)

Notes

References

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External links

{{Commons category, Max Plan PF.204 Busard
Brief details of Max Plan PF.204 Busard technical specification
1950s French sport aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1952 Conventional landing gear