The Aérospatiale N 262 is a French twin-turboprop high-wing

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 ai ...

built first 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 ...

(merged into

Aérospatiale Aérospatiale (), sometimes styled Aerospatiale, was a French state-owned aerospace manufacturer that built both civilian and military aircraft, rockets and satellites. It was originally known as Société nationale industrielle aérospatiale ...

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...

). The aircraft was also known as the Nord 262.

Design and development

In 1957, the French aircraft manufacturer Max Holste began work on a twin-engined utility transport aircraft to replace the

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper versi ...

C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in ...

. The prototype, the Max Holste MH.250 Super Broussard, was powered by two

Pratt & Whitney Wasp The Pratt & Whitney Wasp was the civilian name of a family of air-cooled radial piston engines developed in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.Gunston 1989, p.114. The Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company (P&W) was founded in 1925 by Frederick B. Rentsc ...

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 ...

s and first flew on 20 May 1959. A second prototype, the MH.260, powered by

Turbomeca Bastan The Turbomeca Bastan was a turboprop engine developed in France in 1957. Early models developed 650 shp (485 kW), but by 1965 this had been increased to 1,048 shp (780 kW) with the Bastan VII. Flight tests of some Bastan models were ca ...

turboprop A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. ...

engines flew on 29 July 1960. In 1959, state-owned

(later merged with

Sud Aviation Sud Aviation (, ''Southern Aviation'') was a French state-owned aircraft manufacturer, originating from the merger of Sud-Est ( SNCASE, or ''Société nationale des constructions aéronautiques du sud-est'') and Sud-Ouest ( SNCASO or ''Société ...

and renamed

) signed an agreement with Max Holste to market and help produce the MH.260. Financial problems at Max Holste, however, led to Nord taking on the whole programme, with including further development of the aircraft, while Max Holste concentrated on the production of light aircraft, and was renamed

Reims Aviation Reims Aviation Industries was a French aircraft manufacturer located in the city of Reims, most recently producing the F406 Caravan II. Reims Aviation was a wholly owned subsidiary of GECI Aviation. History Max Holste, the company founder ...

While nine MH.260s were built, the type found no commercial buyers, and Nord redesigned the aircraft to have a

pressurized cabin Cabin pressurization is a process in which conditioned air is pumped into the cabin of an aircraft or spacecraft in order to create a safe and comfortable environment for passengers and crew flying at high altitudes. For aircraft, this air is u ...

and to meet US airworthiness requirements. The new airliner, the Nord 262, was like the MH.260, a high-winged

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 conf ...

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cant ...

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 con ...

of all-metal construction, powered by two Turbomeca Bastan, and fitted with a retractable

tricycle undercarriage Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle ...

, with the main wheels retracting into fuselage-mounted fairings. Pressurization brought a new circular-section fuselage, which normally was fitted with seats for 26 passengers, with a maximum capacity of 29 passengers. The first prototype took to the skies for the first time on 24 December 1962 and the aircraft was exhibited at the June 1963

Paris Air Show The Paris Air Show (french: Salon international de l'aéronautique et de l'espace de Paris-Le Bourget, Salon du Bourget) is a trade fair and air show held in odd years at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in north Paris, France. Organized by the Frenc ...

. The aircraft received its French

airworthiness certificate 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 ...

on 16 July 1964 and entered initial commercial service with Air Inter of France in September that year. Four of the first aircraft 262A, 262B, 262C, and 262D were built, the first two fitted with Bastan IVC engines, while the C and D models were fitted with the higher-powered Bastan VIIC. Of these four aircraft, the latter two saw their first air time in July

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...

. Most sales of the initial aircraft were not in the passenger field, but rather the military field. The 262D was the most popular and marketed as ''Frégate''. As for the American designation, the "Mohawk 298" airplanes were modified Nord 262s and first flew on 7 January 1975, equipped with

Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 is a turboprop aircraft engine produced by Pratt & Whitney Canada. Its design was started in 1958, it first ran in February 1960, first flew on 30 May 1961, entered service in 1964 and has been continuously upda ...

A-45 turboprops. Built in order to meet United States FAR 298 regulation, the modification of the aircraft was overseen by Mohawk Air Services and outsourced to Frakes Aviation.

Allegheny Airlines Allegheny Airlines was a regional airline that operated out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1952 to 1979 with routes primarily located in the eastern U.S. It was the forerunner of USAir that was subsequently renamed US Airways, which itself me ...

was the initial operator of the aircraft. Joel Krane, the chairman of the FOEB (Flight Operations Evaluation Board) determined that a common type rating could be issued for the Nord 262 and Mohawk 298. Appropriate differences training would be required for transitioning pilots.

Variants

;Max Holste MH.250 Super Broussard :Prototype 17-seat transport first flown in 1959. ; Max Holste MH.260 Super Broussard :23 passenger production variant of the MH.250, ten ordered but not completed before development handed over to Nord Aviation. ;N 262 :Prototypes and initial production version ;N 262A :Early standard production version (preceded by N 262B). Powered by

VIC engines. Certified 15 March 1965 with first delivery to

Lake Central Airlines Lake Central Airlines was an airline that served points in the midwestern and eastern United States from 1950 to 1968, when it merged into Allegheny Airlines. In 1979 Allegheny became USAir. In 1997 USAir became US Airways. In 2015 US Airways w ...

on 17 August 1965. ;N 262B :Initial production version for Air Inter, powered by two Bastan VIC turboprops. Four built, with first example flown 8 June 1964, certification 16 July 1964 and delivery 24 July 1964. ;N 262C Frégate :Bastan VIIC engines and greater wingspan ;N 262D Frégate :French Air Force version of N-262C ;N 262E :A maritime patrol and training version used by the

Aviation navale French Naval Aviation (often abbreviated in French to: ''Aéronavale'' (contraction of Aéronautique navale), or ''Aviation navale'', or more simply ''l'Aéro'') is the naval air arm of the French Navy. The long-form official designation is ' ...

(French Navy). ;Mohawk 298 :Nine aircraft updated by Frakes Aviation for

between

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

and

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd government). * January 6 ...

. Powered by

A-45 engines driving five-bladed propellers."The Aerospatiale N-262 Fregate & Mohawk 298"
''Airliners.net''. Retrieved 6 August 2011.

Operators

As of July 2011 a total of three Nord 262 aircraft remain in

airline An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in wh ...

service with the following airlines: * Equatorial International Airlines (1), * International Trans Air Business (1) * RACSA (1).

Former operators

* Aerovias *

Air Ceylon Air Ceylon was the former flag carrier airline of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). The airline discontinued flights to Europe in early 1978 and finally ceased all local services on 31 August 1979, when it was replaced by Air Lanka and then rebranded to S ...

Air Florida Commuter Air Florida Commuter was the regional feeder network for Air Florida. Air Florida Commuter was not an airline, but a system of affiliated commuter carriers that fed traffic into Air Florida's hubs. In an arrangement commonly known as code-sharing, ...

(operated by National Commuter Airlines) * Air Inter *

Air Madagascar ''Société Nationale Malgache de Transports Aériens S.A.'',REGLEMENT ...

Alisarda Alisarda S.p.A. operating as Alisarda was an Italian airline based in Olbia, Sardinia that operated between 1963 and 1991 before it merged with Universair to become Meridiana. As of 2019, Alisarda S.p.A. is a holding company with a 51% stake in ...

(Mohawk 298 conversion) *

Altair Airlines Altair Airlines was an airline based in Philadelphia. It was in service from 1967 to 1982. According to its June 15, 1982 system timetable, the Altair name was taken from the first magnitude star " Altairius" brightest in the constellation "Aqui ...

* B.C. Air Lines (acquired by

Pacific Western Airlines Pacific Western Airlines Ltd (PWA) was an airline that operated scheduled flights throughout western Canada and charter services around the world from the 1950s through the 1980s. It was headquartered at Vancouver International Airport in Ri ...

) * Cimber Air * Crown Airways *

Dan-Air Dan-Air (Dan Air Services Limited) was an airline based in the United Kingdom and a wholly owned subsidiary of London shipbroking firm Davies and Newman. It was started in 1953 with a single aircraft. Initially, it operated cargo and passenger ...

* Delta Air Transport *

Filipinas Orient Airways Filipinas Orient Airways, Inc. was an airline founded by the originally Lebanese refugee family Karam (later Caram) in the Philippines in 1964, under Republic Act No. 4147. FOA was granted the franchise to provide air transport service in the Phi ...

* Golden Gate Airlines (former Swift Aire aircraft) * IFG Interregional Fluggesellschaft * Indonesia Airlines * Japan Domestic Airlines *

Linjeflyg Linjeflyg was a Swedish domestic airline, formed in 1957 as a domestic subsidiary by Scandinavian Airlines System and Airtaco as well as by newspaper publishers Dagens Nyheter AB and Stockholms-Tidningen AB. History Airtaco (founded in Augu ...

* Malu Aviation * Mohawk Air Service * National Commuter Airlines (NATCOM) (operated both Nord 262 and Mohawk 298 aircraft in

feeder service) *

(former B.C. Air Lines aircraft) * Pocono Airlines * Queensland Pacific Airlines * Ransome Airlines * Rhein Air (Switzerland) * * Scheduled Skyways (commuter air carrier based in Fayetteville, AR, USA) * Swift Aire Lines (commuter air carrier based in San Luis Obispo, CA, USA) * Tempelhof Airways * Trans Service Airlift"World Airliner Census 2009"
(pdf). ''

Flight International ''Flight International'' is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", it is the world's olde ...

'', 18–24 August 2009, p. 37. * Wideroe Queensland Pacific Airlines Nord Aviation Mohawk

Military operators

; *

National Air Force of Angola The National Air Force of Angola or FANA ( pt, Força Aérea Nacional de Angola) is the air branch of the Armed Forces of Angola. With an inventory of more than 300 aircraft, FANA is (on paper) one of the largest and strongest air forces of A ...

; ; *

Congolese Air Force The Congolese Air Force (french: Force Aérienne Congolaise) is the air branch of the Armed Forces of the Republic of the Congo, in the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville). Former Cold War air force After achieving independence from F ...

; *

French Air Force 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 Ar ...

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

;

Specifications (Nord 262A)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

Photo of Nord 262

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aerospatiale N 262 N262 1960s French airliners

262 __NOTOC__ Year 262 ( CCLXII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gallienus and Faustianus (or, less frequently, year ...

Aircraft first flown in 1962 High-wing aircraft Twin-turboprop tractor aircraft