__NOTOC__ The Wibault 360 was a 1930s

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 ...

five-passenger

airliner An airliner is a type of aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an ...

designed and built by the

Wibault The Wibault company or ''Société des Avions Michel Wibault'' was a French aircraft manufacturing company. Its workshops were located in Billancourt, in the Paris area. History The Wibault company was established in 1919 by Michel Wibault. Th ...

company.

Design and development

The Wibault 360 was a low-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 ...

Salmson 9A Between 1920 and 1951 the Société des Moteurs Salmson in France developed and built a series of widely used air-cooled aircraft engines.Gunston 1986, p. 158. Design and development After their successful water-cooled radial engines, developed ...

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 ...

and equipped with

conventional landing gear Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Term ...

. The design was based on the earlier three-engined

Wibault 283 The Wibault 280-T was a French 12-passenger civil airliner produced by Wibault backed by money from the Penhoët shipyards and also known as 'Penhoët Wibault'. Design and development The prototype Penhoët Wibault 280-T first flew at Villacoubl ...

but the 360 was smaller and had an enclosed cabin for a pilot and five passengers. The prototype, designated the 360T5, first flew in August 1931. A number of variants were built with different engines, the last of the series was the Wib.366 designed to compete in the 1934 London to Melbourne air race.

Variants

;360T5 :Prototype with a

b radial engine, one built. ;362 :Variant powered by a

Gnome-Rhône 7K The Gnome-Rhône 7K Titan Major was a seven-cylinder 370 hp (270 kW) air-cooled radial engine, that started life as an enlarged Gnome-Rhône 5K with two extra cylinders. Development The Gnome-Rhône 5K was itself a licensed version of ...

b engine, two built in 1933. ;365 :Six-seat variant powered by a

Gnome-Rhône 9K The Gnome-Rhône 9K Mistral was a nine-cylinder 550 hp (405 kW) to 700 hp air-cooled radial engine, that started life as an enlarged Gnome-Rhône 7K with two extra cylinders. Design and development The Gnome-Rhône 7K itself was a ...

brs radial engine, one built in 1933. ;366 :Variant for the

MacRobertson Air Race The MacRobertson Trophy Air Race (also known as the London to Melbourne Air Race) took place in October 1934 as part of the Melbourne Centenary celebrations. The race was devised by the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Sir Harold Gengoult Smith, and th ...

Hispano-Suiza 12Ybrs The Hispano-Suiza 12Y was an aircraft engine produced by Hispano-Suiza for the French Air Force before the Second World War. The 12Y became the primary French 1,000 hp (750 kW) class engine and was used in a number of famous aircraft ...

engine, it had a cruising speed of 250 km/h (155 mph), it did not take part in the race. ;367 :The Wibault 365 modified with a retractable landing gear.

Specifications (360 T.5)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * {{Wibault aircraft 1930s French airliners Wib 360 Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1931