Pottier P.40

Pottier P.40
in the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History
Role	Single seat tailless homebuilt sports aircraft
Designer	Jean Pottier
First flight	1975
Number built	2

The French tailless Pottier P.40 was the first aircraft designed by Jean Pottier. It flew in 1975.

Design

The Pottier P.40 was the first of Jean Pottier's many designs,^[1] begun around 1967, though not the first to fly as the P.70 flew in August 1974.^[2] Construction of the P.40 by Bela Nogrady was started in 1968 but the first flight was not made until 1975.^[3]

The P.40 is a tailless aircraft with a swept, cantilever, low wing. In plan, the wing has a rectangular centre section and straight tapered outer panels with elevons. There are wing tip fins and outward opening rudders which extend a little below the wing.^[1]

The short fuselage is flat sided, mostly occupied by a long canopy over the single seat cockpit. The engine, a 19 kW (25 hp) Volkswagen 1.2 litre air-cooled flat-four, is in the rear in pusher configuration.^[1] The P.40 has a low, fixed, faired bicycle undercarriage.

Operational history

The first P.40 made only one short flight and was then destroyed.^[1][4] The history of the one surviving example, OO-68, on display in the Belgian Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels is obscure. The two machines differed a little, with varying engine cooling and exhaust arrangements, and OO-68 has a three, rather than two, blade propeller.

Specifications

In the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History

Data from Gaillard (1991) p.150^[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 2.60 m (8 ft 6 in)
• Wingspan: 6 m (19 ft 8 in)
• Height: 1.20 m (3 ft 11 in)
• Wing area: 8 m² (86 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 150 kg (331 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 270 kg (595 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Volkswagen 1.2 litre air-cooled flat-four, 19 kW (25 hp)
• Propellers: 2 (3 on second aircraft)-bladed

Performance

• Maximum speed: 180 km/h (110 mph, 97 kn)
• Cruise speed: 160 km/h (99 mph, 86 kn)
• Range: 600 km (370 mi, 320 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 2,900 m (9,500 ft) ^[3]

References

1. Gaillard, Pierre (1991). Les Avions Francais de 1965 à 1990. Paris: Éditions EPA. p. 150. ISBN 2-85120-392-4.
2. Gaillard (1991). Les Avions Francais de 1965 à 1990. Éditions EPA. p. 130.
3. Walter van Tilborg. "Poittier P.40 (OO-68)". Retrieved 1 February 2015.
4. Chillon, Jacques. Fox Papa - Registre des avions Français amateur (2009 ed.). Brive: Ver Luisant. p. 162. ISBN 978-2-3555-1-066-3.