Adventures of the SNCASO SO.90 Cassiopée in Occupied France

[chris ballance]

Ron Eisele on Twitter posted these photos of this twin engine transport aircraft that was designed and built in occupied France and escaped to North Africa in 1943. Does anyone know more about this aircraft?

Original tweet: "16 August 1943. First flight of the, SNCASO SO.90 'Cassiopée' French twin engine mail and passenger transport aircraft. Despite lacking authorization by occupying forces, Maurice Hurel, French aeronautical engineer flew the prototype from Cannes, France to Algeria."

 

[chris ballance]

I should searched this form first, some more information was posted in 2017

BEHIND THE DO-335......

A nice photo of a Pheil under construction/being repaired but what aircraft is behind it?

ww2aircraft.net

 

[chris ballance]

Today is the 79th anniversary of Maurice Hurel & 8 other GTC engineers making their escape in the unfinished SO.90 prototype. One account I found states three of Hurel's sons were on the plane and that the engineers loaded up the plane with luggage (assuming filled with GTC design work) under the noses of the Italians. i can only imagine the surprise of the Italians at Cannes-Mandelieu airfield when Hurel opened up the throttles all the way turning a supposed ground test into a direct takeoff. The aircraft had an incomplete instrument panel and the landing gear hydraulics were not yet installed. Propeller pitch setting were also a problem during the flight. I can't even imagine pulling a new prototype out of hanger without even a ground test and just taking off. Desperate times make for desperate measures.

 

[Escuadrilla Azul]

Ron Eisele on Twitter posted these photos of this twin engine transport aircraft that was designed and built in occupied France and escaped to North Africa in 1943. Does anyone know more about this aircraft?

Original tweet: "16 August 1943. First flight of the, SNCASO SO.90 'Cassiopée' French twin engine mail and passenger transport aircraft. Despite lacking authorization by occupying forces, Maurice Hurel, French aeronautical engineer flew the prototype from Cannes, France to Algeria."

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French???? Too beauty to be a french airplane