The Payen Pa.47 Plein Air ( en, Open Air) or Week EndRoux December 1969, p. 6 was a French two seat,

high wing A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

single engine tourer, which first flew in 1949. Only one was built.

Design and development

Most of Roland Payen's aircraft were tailless designs but the Plein Air was strikingly conventional. It was a strut-braced high wing

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

, seating two side-by-side in a cabin under the wing

leading edge The leading edge of an airfoil surface such as a wing is its foremost edge and is therefore the part which first meets the oncoming air.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 305. Aviation Supplies & Academics, ...

and powered by a

Continental A65 The Continental O-170 engine is the collective military designation for a family of small aircraft engines, known under the company designation of A50, A65, A75 and A80. The line was designed and built by Continental Motors commencing in the 194 ...

air-cooled

flat-four engine A flat-four engine, also known as a horizontally opposed-four engine, is a four-cylinder piston engine with two banks of cylinders lying on opposite sides of a common crankshaft. The most common type of flat-four engine is the boxer-four engine, ...

. The wings were rectangular in plan and the

lift strut In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of strut, which act in ...

s were V-form pairs from the lower

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...

. The Plein Air had a flat sided

which tapered to the tail. This was conventional, with a straight edged

fin A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. Fin ...

and

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...

with a rounded top. Its tailplane was strut braced to the fin. The tourer had a fixed tail wheel undercarriage with main wheels on split axles mounted on the central fuselage underside; the legs were faired-in V-struts from the lower fuselage. The tail wheel, mounted on a telescopic leg, was also faired. Its first flight was on 18 June 1949 but it did not receive its

Certificate of Airworthiness A standard certificate of airworthiness is a permit for commercial passenger or cargo operation, issued for an aircraft by the civil aviation authority in the state/nation in which the aircraft is registered. For other aircraft such as crop-spraye ...

(C of A) until 24 August 1957. Initially registered with Payen, it changed hands in July 1960 but its C of A ran out in July 1962 and was not renewed.

Specifications

References

Bibliography

* * {{Payen aircraft Payen aircraft 1940s French sport aircraft High-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1949