The Kellner-Béchereau 23 was a French two seat cabin touring aircraft, built in 1932. Its wing was constructed in a novel way. Only one was completed.

Design

The Kellner-Béchereau 23 was the first aircraft known as a Kellner-Béchereau (the company was founded in 1931), though the only example built (''F-AKGH'') was originally marked as the Béchereau 23. It was a single engine cabin aircraft with an all-metal, three part

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is unsupported at 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 cantilev ...

wing constructed in a novel way. In place of spars, an approximately oval section, light metal tube, shaped around a wooden form which was then removed, provided both structural strength and formed the outer skin of the forward half of the wing. A more conventional lattice structure was attached to the rear of the tube and supported

aileron 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 roll (or movement aroun ...

s. The whole wing was then fabric covered. In plan, the wing was approximately elliptical. The centre section, occupying about 20% of the span, was built into the

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French language, French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds Aircrew, crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an Aircraft engine, engine as wel ...

and the outer panels tapered rapidly to pointed tips. The wings also tapered in section; the upper surface was horizontal but the lower sloped upwards, providing about 5° dihedral at the centreline. Their

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. ...

s were entirely filled with two-part, high

aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a geometry, geometric shape is the ratio of its sizes in different dimensions. For example, the aspect ratio of a rectangle is the ratio of its longer side to its shorter side—the ratio of width to height, when the rectangl ...

ailerons. Its flat-sided cross-section

was built around four

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal (taiga) regions of the Northern hemisphere. ''Picea'' ...

longerons In engineering, a longeron or stringer is a load-bearing component of a framework. The term is commonly used in connection with aircraft fuselages and automobile chassis. Longerons are used in conjunction with stringers to form structural frame ...

, transversely braced with steel tubes. They supported a light, fabric covered body formed with

plywood Plywood is a composite material manufactured from thin layers, or "plies", of wood veneer that have been stacked and glued together. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured boards, which include plywood, medium-density fibreboa ...

frame A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...

s and stringers. The Salmson 7AC, a seven-cylinder

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating engine, reciprocating type internal combustion engine, internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinder (engine), cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. ...

, was in a pointed nose with its cylinders exposed for cooling. Its fuel tanks were in the wing centre-section. The tourer's cabin seated two in

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which two or more animals, machines, or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. ''Tandem'' can also be used more generally to refer to any group of persons or objects w ...

under a long, multi-part, fully glazed

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...

which ran from the

leading edge The leading edge is the part of the wing that first contacts the air;Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 305. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. alternatively it is the foremost edge of an airfoil sectio ...

to mid- chord, then blended without change in height into the upper fuselage. The cabin had two small baggage holds in the centre wing section, each providing of space. The

empennage The empennage ( or ), also known as the tail or tail assembly, is a structure at the rear of an aircraft that provides stability during flight, in a way similar to the feathers on an arrow.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third ed ...

of the Kellner-Béchereau 23 was conventional, with a triangular

tailplane A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabilizer, is a small lift (force), 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 ...

mounted on the upper fuselage and carrying narrow, rounded

elevator An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems suc ...

s was wire braced to the blunted triangular

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. F ...

which carried a curved and narrow unbalanced rudder. The tourer had a fixed

tailwheel undercarriage Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft Landing gear, undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the Center of gravity of an aircraft, center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail ...

with independent mainwheels on hinged V-

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. A stay is sometimes used as a synonym for ...

s from the fuselage underside and near-vertical sprung legs, with Béchereau

shock absorbers A shock absorber or damper is a mechanical or hydraulic device designed to absorb and damp shock impulses. It does this by converting the kinetic energy of the shock into another form of energy (typically heat) which is then dissipated. Most sho ...

, from the wings. The mainwheels, with a track of , were equipped with independent brakes. At the rear the sprung tailwheel was free to castor.

Operational history

The date of the Kellner-Béchereau 23's first flight is not known but by early September 1932 it was sufficiently developed to begin its official tests with the S.T. Aé at Villacoublay, flown by Seitz. These were resumed in December. In September 1933 it was one of the eleven aircraft in the third annual, eight day ''Tour de France des avions prototypes''.

Specifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kellner-Bechereau 23 1930s French sport aircraft Kellner-Béchereau aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1932