The Nord 1100 Noralpha was a French-built and re-engined

Messerschmitt Bf 108 The Messerschmitt Bf 108 ''Taifun'' (English: "Typhoon") was a German single-engine sport and touring aircraft, developed by Bayerische Flugzeugwerke in the 1930s. The Bf 108 was of all-metal construction. Design and development Originally desi ...

produced by

Nord Aviation Nord-Aviation ( en, Northern Aviation) was a state-owned French aircraft manufacturer. The bulk of its facilities were based on the site of Bourges airport, in the département of Cher, in central France. On 1 October 1954, Nord Aviation was cr ...

Development

Construction of the

was transferred to the ''Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Nord'' (usually known simply as Nord) at

Les Mureaux Les Mureaux () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the north-western suburbs of Paris, from the centre of Paris. Population Transport Les Mureaux is served by Les ...

, to the West of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, in

occupied France The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...

in 1942. The company built two prototypes of the Messerschmitt Me 208 during 1943/44. One survived the liberation and was redesignated Nord 1100. The company then produced a re-engined version of the

Nord Pingouin The Nord Pingouin (, ''Auk'') was a French-built, re-engined Messerschmitt Bf 108 ''Taifun'' produced by SNCAN (Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Nord). Development In 1942 the manufacture of the Messerschmitt Bf 108 was t ...

with a

Renault 6Q-10 The Renault 6Q, also called the Renault Bengali 6, is an air-cooled six-cylinder, inverted piston engine, producing about continuous power. It was designed and built in France and produced for more than ten years after its homologation in 19 ...

engine as the Nord 1101. The 1101 was designated the ''Ramier'' by the French military. One Nord 1104 Noralpha was fitted with a Potez 6D-0 for trials and two earlier 1101 Noralphas were converted with a Turbomeca Astazou II turboshaft engine as the S.F.E.R.M.A.-Nord 1100 Noralpha (S.F.E.R.M.A. - ''Société Française d'Entretien et de Réparation de Matériel Aéronautique'') in 1959.

Design

The Noralpha was a low-wing cantilever monoplane with a braced horizontal tail surface and single rudder. It had a retractable tricycle landing gear. The engine was nose-mounted and it had an enclosed cabin with side-by-side seating for two and room behind for a further two passengers.

Operational history

Nord built 200 production examples of the Noralpha and these served as communications aircraft with the French Air Force and French Navy. Later, many examples were civilianised. The final Air Force Noralphas were replaced in service with the Centre d'essais en vol (CEV) at Bretigny-sur-Orge during 1974-75, whilst a few naval examples continued for a further brief period.Jackson, 1979, pp. 162-163

Variants

;1100 :2x French-built Me 208 prototypes, powered by a single Argus As 10C-1 engine. ;1101 Noralpha / Ramier I :

(right-hand turning) powered production variant. 205 were built for civil and French military use where the 1101 was known as the Nord 1101 Ramier I (English: Woodpigeon I). ;1102 Noralpha / Ramier II : Renault 6Q-11 (left-hand turning) powered variant, not built. French military use where the 1101 was known as the ''Ramier I'' (English: Woodpigeon II). ;1104 Noralpha :One trials aircraft powered by a

Potez 6D The Potez 6D is a French six cylinder inverted inline aircraft engine put into production after World War II in normal and supercharged versions. Unsupercharged, it produced a take-off power of at 2,530 rpm. Design and development In the 1930s ...

-0 engine. ;S.F.E.R.M.A.-Nord 1110 Nord-Astazou :Two conversions by S.F.E.R.M.A. (''Société Française d'Entretien et de Réparation de Matériel Aéronautique'') in 1959, each with a single Turbomeca Astazou II turboprop engine.

Operators

; *

Armée de l'Air The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Arm ...

(ALA) * Aviation Légère de l’Armée de Terre (ALAT) * Aéronavale

Specifications (1101 Noralpha)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * {{Nord aircraft 1940s French military utility aircraft Noralpha Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1944