TWIN-ENGINED TRAINER
HISTORY
Development and Career
The French Air Force announced an invitation to tender in order to equip two training squadrons with a new jet which would be economical to operate. Two projects were started :
Since the tandem configuration was
close to that of modern Armée de l'Air fighters, the Fouga won
the competition. Studies conducted by engineers Robert Castelo and
Pierre Mauboussin from Fouga for the cell and M. Szydlowski from
Turboméca started in 1949. The project was developed around
the CM-813 glider. July 14th 1949, CM 8R13
n°01 Cyclone flew for the first time, in the hands of
Léon Bourrieau. This plane was fitted with the
Turboméca Piméné engine and reached 200
km/h. Eventually the Cyclone became the Sylphe. The result was called the CM
88R Gémeaux I, then Gémeaux II and III. It
flew on August 14th 1951 with a Marboré II
360kgptengine, then in late 1951 with a 400kgt engine.
Finally, July 23rd 1952, the Magister (Latin for
teacher-professor) made its first flight at Mont-de-Marsan
air base, flown by Léon Bourrieau. Two CM-170M Esquif
prototypes were ordered. April 10th 1956, M.Anxionnaz,
Secretary of the Navy, signed a contract for 30 CM-170Ms,
including two prototypes. Ten are funded for in 1954 and
twenty in 1956. The CM-170 M01 Esquif made its first flight
on July 31st 1956 with Jacques Grangette at controls. LV
Joseph Gérard who was just appointed as the engineer
officer of the new aircraft, made two flights with
Léon Bourrieau in the teacher seat, on September 27th
of the same year, including a 30,000 ft climb.Regarding the
second prototype - the CM-170 M02 Esquif - its first flight
took place on April 12th 1957.
Many derivatives of the Cyclone will fly, the CM 8R9 Cyclope fitted
with a Turboméca 110kgp Piméné engine, or the
Cyclope II. Two Cyclopes were connected in the F-82 Twin Mustang way,
and received a more powerful power
plant.
The Navy was also looking for a training aircraft, and naturally
turned towards Fouga and its CM-170 Magister. It asked the firm to
adapt the plane to carrier operations and a sea environment in
general. The main differences between the French Air Force CM-170 and
the French Naval Aviation CM-175 are the sliding canopy, the
arresting hook and the reinforced landing gear.
In July 1957, few Field Carrier Landing Practices (FCLP) were
carried out by both prototypes at Istres.
Under the aegis of the Centre
d'Essais de Brétigny (Brétigny Test Center),
represented by CC Mauban and LV Mosneron-Dupin, operational
evaluations were performed at the Bedford Royal Establishment from
January 16th to 22nd 1957 to evaluate the aircraft's behavior during
carrier wires arrestment and catapult launches from the test center
ground installations. 01 and 02 prototypes were sent from Toulouse to
Cherbourg by CC Picchi and LV Gérard with a stop at Tours, to
carry out catapulting and deck landing tests aboard the Brtish
carrier HMS Bulwark. Based first at Maupertus airfield, they
headed to the carrier on July 31st from Ford airfield where the
weather was better. Tests began on August 1st but they were
interrupted, after some ten landings carried out by CC Mauban, CC
Picchi & LV Gérard, the hook' shock-absorber being
damaged, arrestment was much uncertain.
Prototype (F-ZWUD and F-ZWUZ)
pilots were Jacques Grangette (Fouga test pilot), LV Murgue and LV
Mosneron-Dauphin from the CEV, LV Klotz (engineer officer) & de
Lavergne (CEV) and EV1 Ruytinx from the CEPA. In October, testing was
done aboard the Arromanches. In 1959, the prototypes were delivered
to the CEPA's prototypes section, and received serials SR-21 and
SR-22. The first one stayed at the CEPA until April 1962, and then
went to the CEAN (Naval Aviation School Center). The second one was
scrapped in January 1965.
The second carrier
campaign was held between March 10 and 13 1958 off Toulon,
aboard HMS Eagle. Both prototypes carried out 31
landings and catapultings on the deck of the British
carrier.
The Aéronavale's "Zéphyr" (1959-1994)
The first production
aircraft (n°003) was rolled out of Toulouse-Blagnac
assembly line May 30th 1959 ; the last one being delivered
on October 30th 1960. The plane was renamed Zéphyr.
Part of the fleet of Zéphyrs was kept at Cazes
(Morocco), then at Lartigue (Algeria) until 1962, and
finally at Lann-Bihoué (1962-1991) to replace active
duty Zéphyrs in the different squadrons. The
57.S
flight used several Zéphyrs until 1959. When 57.S
closed down, its planes were transferred to the 59.S,
already on Zéphyrs since 1959, and to squadron 2S.
After the failure of the
navalised version of the Alphajet (VTX) in the competition for the US
Navy's new carrier trainer, against the T-45 Goshawk (carrier version
of the BAe Hawk), the French Navy refused to build a new trainer,
which would have been very expensive. France thus decided to send its
Navy pilots to NAS Meridian for their carrier training.
59.S' aircraft were able to carry S.S.11 AAMs, to train
pilots to use the N5103 from the same company and fitted on
11.F and 16.F squadrons'
Aquilons.Until 1969, six
Zéphyrs were specially kept with the 2S flight to
train reserve pilots. These six planes were then transferred
to the Zéphyr Section of NAS Landivisiau which became
Jet Engine Section in May 1972 with the arrival of the
MS-760 Paris.
In 1973, squadron 59.S
became the sole user of Zéphyrs in the
Aéronavale, until 1994. This squadron also formed a
demonstration team of four Zéphyrs in 1961 and 1962.
After 35 of service (1959 - 1994), the Zéphyr had
flown 107,300 hours and done 5,297 carrier traps on the deck
of the Arromanches
(R95), Clemenceau
(R98) and Foch
(R99).
Several derivatives of the Magister were built, such as the CM-176 Close Air Support plane fitted with 2 HS-404 20mm canons and 18 CC-120 rockets, the CM-171 fitted with a new 1 100kgt engine, the Potez-94 with ejection seats and a new canopy. Finally, a whole new version of the Magister, the Fouga-90, was built as a possible replacement for the Magister. It had two Turboméca Astafan 2G 680kgt engines (production aircraft would have had Astafan 4G 790kgt engines) and two Martin-Baker Mk.10 ejection seats. The oil crisis of the 70's killed the program.
CM-170
Ms & CM-175 ZÉPHYRs OF THE FRENCH NAVAL
AVIATION Number Status Number Status 1 Prototype.
Scrapped. 16 57.S, 59.S. Retired from
service. 2 Prototype. Displayed at the
Savigny lès Beaune Museum. 17 59.S. Retired from
service. 3 57.S, 59.S. Lost in
nocturnal flight, south of Giens. 18 57.S, 2.S, SFL, 59.S,
EAE. 4 57.S et 59.S. Was retired
after a undercarriage failure at
Lann-Bihoué. 19 57.S, 59.S. Lost while
landing on the deck of the CV Arromanches in
1973. 5 59.S and stocked. Able to
fly since 1991. Given in to the SEA. 20 57.S, 2.S, SFL, 59.S.
CEAN. 6 59.S. Lost in 1992 at
Signes. 21 57.S, 2.S, SFL, 59.S.
Retired in 1991 and given in to the SEA. 7 57.S, 2.S, SFL, 59.S. Lost
at sea. 22 57.S, 59.S. Lost at sea in
1993. 8 57.S. Lost in 1960 at
Khouribga crashing with a MS-733. 23 57.S, 59.S. Retired from
service. 9 57.S, 59.S. Lost at
sea. 24 57.S, 59.S, CEAN. 10 59.S, CEAM
Rochefort. 25 59.S. Lost in
1975. 11 57.S, 2.S, SFL, 59.S.
Stocked at Lann-Bihoué. 26 59.S. Lost at sea in
1979. 12 57.S, 59.S. Burnt. Retired
in 1991. 27 59.S. Displayed at the air
& space museum of Paris. 13 57.S, 59.S. Lost in 1963 at
Carqueiranne. 28 59.S. Given in to the
SEA. 14 59.S. Retired from
service. 29 59.S. Lost on February
14th,1991. 15 57.S, 2.S, 59.S. Lost at sea
in 1976. 30 59.S. Retired from
service.
WEAPONS -Two AA-52 guns with 150 cartridges. They
were removed because of many accidents.
-Four T10 rockets of 25 kg.
-50 kg bombs.
-2,25 inch rockets.
-SNEB of 68 mm.
-SNEB of 37 mm.
-SS-11 missile. Removed in the 1970s.
sources - acknowledgements
:
Jacques Grangette, former Fouga company's
Test Pilot.
CV(H) Georges Picchi, former Fouga
Zéphyr's Test Pilot within the
CEPA.
CV(H) Joseph Gérard, former Fouga
Zéphyr's Test Pilot.