The Weymann W-100, Weymann CTW-100 or Weymann W-100 RBL was a French three seat observation aircraft with a position for the observer within its partially glazed

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 ...

. Only one was built.

Design and development

Observation aircraft from

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and into the 1920s generally had two crew, the pilot and a defensive gunner who was also the observer. Though there had been attempts to include three positions, separating the role of gunner and observer, the extra weight of the more powerful engine required proved too great a penalty. By the mid-1930s engine technology had improved enough, in Weymann's view, to make a three-seat aircraft fast enough. The W-100 was the result of this analysis. It was a two bay biplane with constant chord, unswept, unequal span wings with rounded tips. The wings were entirely wooden, with multiple

spar SPAR, originally DESPAR, styled as DE SPAR, is a Dutch multinational that provides branding, supplies and support services for independently owned and operated food retail stores. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, by Adriaan van Well, ...

s and stressed

plywood Plywood is a material manufactured from thin layers or "plies" of wood veneer that are glued together with adjacent layers having their wood grain rotated up to 90 degrees to one another. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured ...

skin. The upper wing was significantly longer, broader and thicker than the lower and was in three parts, with a rectangular central portion that was mounted over the

on two outward-leaning streamlined steel

strut A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension. Human anatomy Part of the functionality o ...

s from the upper fuselage on each side. This section had no dihedral. The lower wings were mounted on the lower fuselage and braced to the upper wings with outward leaning N-form

interplane struts 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 ...

; they had the same dihedral as the outer upper panels. Crossed wire bracing completed the strongly staggered structure. Servo-tabbed

ailerons An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in Flight dynamics, roll (or ...

on upper and lower wings were linked with streamlined steel tubes. The W-100's fuselage frame was constructed from steel tube

Warren girder A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or s ...

s, resulting in an essentially rectangular section structure which was largely fabric covered. There was a nine cylinder

Hispano-Suiza 9V The Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 is an American radial engine developed by Curtiss-Wright, widely used on aircraft in the 1930s through 1950s. It was produced under license in France as the Hispano-Suiza 9V or Hispano-Wright 9V, and in the Soviet Uni ...

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 ...

(a licence-built

Wright R-1820 The Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 is an American radial engine developed by Curtiss-Wright, widely used on aircraft in the 1930s through 1950s. It was produced under license in France as the Hispano-Suiza 9V or Hispano-Wright 9V, and in the Soviet Uni ...

) in the nose under a long-chord

cowling A cowling is the removable covering of a vehicle's engine, most often found on automobiles, motorcycles, airplanes, and on outboard boat motors. On airplanes, cowlings are used to reduce drag and to cool the engine. On boats, cowlings are a cove ...

. The pilot's open

cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a Pilot in command, pilot controls the aircraft. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the ...

was at the wing

trailing edge The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge meets.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 521. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. ...

, with the gunner's cockpit, fitted with a machine gun on a flexible mount, immediately behind. A triangular, upward hinged door in the starboard side below the gunner's cockpit gave access to the observer's position in the deepened forward fuselage between the pilot's cockpit and the engine. It had glazed panels in its top and bottom and entirely glazed sides, giving the observer clear views in all directions. At the rear the rectangular

tailplane A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabiliser, is a small lifting surface located on the tail (empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyroplane ...

was built into the upper fuselage and carried larger area, separate,

balanced In telecommunications and professional audio, a balanced line or balanced signal pair is a circuit consisting of two conductors of the same type, both of which have equal impedances along their lengths and equal impedances to ground and to other ...

elevator An elevator or lift is a wire rope, cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or deck (building), decks of a building, watercraft, ...

s. The round 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 ...

was wire braced to the tailplane and carried a deep, round-topped

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 ...

, also balanced. The W-100 had a fixed, wide track

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 ...

, with each mainwheel on a V-form axle and drag strut hinged from the lower fuselage. A faired Messier

oleo strut An oleo strut is a pneumatic air–oil hydraulic shock absorber used on the landing gear of most large aircraft and many smaller ones. This design cushions the impacts of landing and damps out vertical oscillations. It is undesirable for an airp ...

was attached to the upper fuselage. There was a small, steerable tailwheel. The Weymann W-100 first flew between late June and early July 1933, piloted by Barbot, though the location is not recorded. By August it had been further tested at Villacoublay, had returned to the factory by mid-August and was back at Villacoublay in September. There seem to be no further references to the W-100 in the French journals after this date.

Specifications

References

{{Weymann aircraft 1930s French military reconnaissance aircraft Weymann aircraft Biplanes Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1933