The Potez 53 was a French low-wing enclosed cockpit single-seat cantilever monoplane racing aircraft built by

Potez Potez (pronounced ) was a French aircraft manufacturer founded as Aéroplanes Henry Potez by Henry Potez at Aubervilliers in 1919 in aviation, 1919. The firm began by refurbishing war-surplus SEA IV aircraft, but was soon building new examples of ...

to specifically to compete in the 1933

Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe The Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe was an international aeronautical speed competition instituted on 25 August 1909 by the French oil magnate Henry Deutsch de la Meurthe. The race was reinstated three times through the years at the initiative of the ...

race, which it won outright.Taylor 1989, p. 748."Coupe Deutsch" 24 May 1934, p.510.

Design and development

It was powered by a

supercharged In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement. The current categorisation is that a supercharger is a form of forced induct ...

9-cylinder

Potez 9B Potez (pronounced ) was a French aircraft manufacturer founded as Aéroplanes Henry Potez by Henry Potez at Aubervilliers in 1919. The firm began by refurbishing war-surplus SEA IV aircraft, but was soon building new examples of an improved ver ...

air-cooled

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ca ...

driving a two-bladed fixed pitch propeller. The engine was specially designed for the competition, which limited displacement to .NACA Technical Memorandum no.724: The 1933 contest for the Deutsch de la Meurthe trophy The primary structure and covering was wood. The undercarriage retracted outwards into the undersides of the wings while the tailskid was fixed. Two machines were entered for the 1933 Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe.De Narbonne 2003. The first (racing no.10) was flown by

Georges Détré Georges may refer to: Places *Georges River, New South Wales, Australia *Georges Quay (Dublin) *Georges Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania Other uses * Georges (name) * ''Georges'' (novel), a novel by Alexandre Dumas * "Georges" (song), a 197 ...

, who won first place, covering the closed-circuit course with an average speed of .Taylor 1989, p. 749. The other (racing no.12) was flown by

Gustave Lemoine Gustav, Gustaf or Gustave may refer to: *Gustav (name), a male given name of Old Swedish origin Art, entertainment, and media * ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film * ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hungarian series of animated short cart ...

, who retired after completing the fourth lap. Following this success, a new machine designated the Potez 533 (or 53-3) was built with various improvements for the 1934 race, including an uprated engine delivering driving a Ratier variable-pitch propeller, slimmer and more streamlined fuselage and redesigned wings of increased area."The 1934 contest for the Deutsch de la Meurthe trophy", p.18. One of the two aircraft entered the previous years was refurbished as the Potez 532 (or 53-2), to act as a backup in the competition. The engine was uprated, its fuselage was slightly lengthened for aerodynamic reasons, the wing was further enlarged and additional flaps were installed between the fuselage and ailerons. The two aircraft were flown by the same pilots as the previous year, but neither completed the 1934 race."Coupe Deutsch" 31 May 1934, p.531. Gustave Lemoine, who was flying the Potez 533 (racing no.3), completed ten circuits with an average speed before being forced to withdraw due to a problem with the variable-pitch propeller. Georges Détré, who was flying the older machine (racing no.1), completed only eight circuits before a broken oil pipe forced him to abandon the race.

Aircraft on display

The unmodified Potez 53 which won the 1933 race is preserved in the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace."Potez 53". (France)

Specifications (1933 Potez 53)

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * * {{Potez aircraft 1930s French sport aircraft

053 53 may refer to: * 53 (number) * one of the years 53 BC, AD 53, 1953, 2053 * FiftyThree, an American privately held technology company that specializes in tools for mobile creation and visual thinking * 53rd Regiment Alabama Cavalry * 53rd Regiment ...

Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1933