French fighters, training and liaison aircrafts

[gekho]

The French aircraft that took part in the Second World War are often overlooked. In most cases their story ended in the summer of 1940, and so they do not have the long history of developments and updated versions that fill many aircraft books. With a few notable exceptions, such as the Dewoitine D.520, they were not great aircraft. Nevertheless for a short period in 1940 these fighter aircraft faced up against the full might of the Luftwaffe, and their story deserves to be told. Pelletier does a good job of placing each of the aircraft he covers in its context. The book is well illustrated with a combination of plan drawing and contemporary photographs.

For each aircraft Pelletier looks at its development and production history. For those aircraft that reached the front line in time he then looks at their record during the crucial battle of France. In a few cases the story goes on beyond the collapse of France. Pelletier covers the post-armistice French air force, the clashes between French and Allied aircraft over north Africa and Syria and for the Dewoitine D.520 its final return to Allied colours after the 1944 invasion of southern France.

Source: Amazon.com: French Fighters of World War II in Action - Aircraft No. 180 (9780897474405): Alain Pelletier, Richard Hudson, Don Greer: Books

 

[gekho]

An early order came from the French Armée de l'Air, which was already operating P-36s. The Armée de l'Air initially ordered 100 (later the order was increased to 230) as the Hawk 81A-1 but the French military had been defeated before the aircraft had left the factory, consequently, the aircraft were diverted to British and Commonwealth service (as the Tomahawk I), in some cases complete with metric flight instruments. In late 1942, as French forces in North Africa split from the Vichy government to side with the Allies, U.S. forces transferred P-40Fs from 33rd FG to the GC II/5, a squadron that was historically associated with the Lafayette Escadrille. GC II/5 used its P-40Fs and Ls in combat in Tunisia and, later, for patrol duty off the Mediterranean coast until mid-1944 when they were replaced by Republic Thunderbolt P-47Ds.

 

[gekho]

To meet the requirements of the French 1930 fighter programme, Andre Herbemont evolved the Bleriot SPAD 510. The Type 510, which was ordered as a single prototype to participate in the programme, was of allmetal construction with a duralumin monocoque rear fuselage, and fabric-covered wings and tail assembly. Powered by an Hispano-Suiza 12Xbrs 12-cylinder Vee liquid-cooled engine rated at 690hp 4000m, the Bleriot SPAD 510 was flown for the first time on 6 January 1933. After protracted evaluation, during which the centre fuselage was lengthened by 40cm to rectify a shortcoming in longitudinal stability and the vertical tail surfaces were enlarged to improve yaw characteristics, the type was ordered into production in August 1935. The first of 60 production examples were delivered early in the following year, the final two aircraft being accepted with the HS 12Xcrs engine and a 20mm Hispano-Suiza motor cannon. The standard armament comprised four wing-mounted MAC 1934 7.5mm guns. The Type 510 proved to be the last fighter biplane to be ordered for the Armee de l'Air.

 

[gekho]

The Hanriot H.170, H.180, and H.190 were a family of light utility aircraft produced in France in the 1930s. All introduced in 1934, they appeared side-by-side at the Paris Air Show that year, the model numbers distinguishing between versions powered by Salmson, Renault, and Régnier engines respectively. In basic construction, they were otherwise almost identical, as largely conventional monoplanes with high, strut-braced wings and fixed, tailskid undercarriage. The pilot and one or two passengers sat in an extensively-glazed, enclosed cabin. Although usually described as a monoplane, this family of aircraft all featured small, stub wings at the bottom of the fuselage. These carried the fuel tanks and served as a mounting point for the wing struts and undercarriage. An interesting feature was that the upper portion of the rear fuselage was a removable module, allowing it to be replaced with alternative modules for different roles, for example to carry a stretcher, or a second, open cockpit for pilot or gunnery training.

The H.182 was the major production version, accounting for 346 out of the total of 392 aircraft built. Most of these were produced as part of a government order for machines to equip the Cercles Aériens Régionaux reserve flying units, with 172 aircraft still operational at the Fall of France in 1940. Ten more were purchased by the Second Spanish Republic for use in the Spanish Civil War, and 50 aircraft originally ordered by the French government were diverted to Turkey as part of a military aid agreement.

 

[gekho]

The first Dewoitine fighter monoplane to relinquish the parasol configuration in favour of a low-wing layout, the D 500 flew on 18 June 1932. Intended to meet the demands of the 1930 C1 programme and eventually selected as winning contender, the D 500 was powered by a 12-cylinder Vee Hispano-Suiza 12Xbrs (HS 72) engine rated at 660hp for take-off and 690hp at 4000m. Armament comprised two 7.7mm Vickers guns in the fuselage, these later being supplanted by 7.5mm Darne guns with provision for two similar wing-mounted weapons. At the end of November 1933, orders were placed for 60 D 500s of which 45 were to be built by Liore-et-Olivier and 15 by SAF-Avions Dewoitine. Of the former, 40 were to be powered by the HS 12Xbrs engine and the remaining five by the HS 12Xcrs (HS 76) with provision for a 20mm Hispano-Suiza S7 (Oerlikon) cannon mounted between the cylinder banks. With this installation and twin wing-mounted machine guns the fighter was designated D 501. The SAF-Avions Dewoitine order was eventually to comprise eight D 500s, five D 501s and two D 510s. The first production D 500 was flown on 29 November 1934, contracts having meanwhile been placed for a further 50 D 500s and 80 D 501s to be built by Liore-et-Olivier and 60 D 501s by Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire, deliveries to the Armee de l'Air commencing May-June 1935. Three D 500s were ordered by Venezuela at the beginning of 1934 and delivered in July 1935, and in the following year 14 D 501s were supplied to Lithuania. The Armee de l'Air received 100 D 500s and 133 D 501s, 30 of the latter type also being supplied to shore-based elements of France's Aeronautique Navale. Small numbers of D 500s and D 501s equipped Escadrilles Regionale de Chasse in the early months of World War II, but had been relegated to tuitional tasks by 1940.

 

[gekho]

The Potez 63.11 was a three-seat army co-operation aircraft based on the general Potez 63 design, but with a completely crew compartment and nose. The Potez 63.11 was produced in greater numbers than any other member of the family, making up 725 of the 1,115 Potez 63s accepted by the Armée de l'Air before the fall of France. The Potez 63.11 used the same tail, rear fuselage, wings and engines as the standard Potez 631 or Potez 633 bomber, but with a completely redesigned crew compartment and nose. The slender nose of the standard Potez 63 was replaced by a much larger glazed nose, while the pilot's cockpit was moved back and upwards (moving from a position half way between the leading edge of the wing and the tip of the nose to one in line with the leading edge).

The Potez 63.11 was ordered in large numbers. The first production order, for 145 aircraft, was placed on 18 August 1938. It was followed by pre-war contracts for 70 aircraft on 21 September 1938, 200 aircraft on 16 December 1938 and 150 aircraft on 18 April 1939. This last contract was reduced to one for 60 aircraft for France, ten for Romania and 35 for spare parts in August 1939. Pre-war contracts thus totalled 475 aircraft for the Armée de l'Air. The largest contract, for 800 aircraft, was placed on 12 September 1939, after the outbreak of the Second World War, but this was soon reduced slightly to one for 725 aircraft for France, 10 for Romania and 35 for spare parts, bringing the total on order for the Armée de l'Air up to 1200. Only 723 of these aircraft had been taken on charge by the time of the French armistice in June 1940, although another 80 were complete at the Méaulte factory. Production continued at Les Mureaux during 1941 and a final 120 aircraft were produced for the Luftwaffe.

The prototype Potez 63.11-01 made its maiden flight on 31 December 1938. It had a rounded glazed nose, but the curves in the glass distorted the observers view, and production aircraft had a nose with flat Plexiglas panels. At the start of the Second World War only five Potez 63.11s had entered service, and none had reached front line units. During the Phoney War period they began to appear in much larger numbers. The Potez 63.11 had been developed to serve with the Groupes Aèriens d'Observation (Army co-operation squadrons). In August 1939 these units were equipped with a mix of obsolete aircraft, including the Potez 390, Breguet 270, Les Mureaux 116 and Les Mureaux 117, while the new Dewoitine D.720 T3 was not ready for production. Instead the Armée de l'Air was forced to rely on the Potez 63.11. In November 1939 the aim was to have twelve G.A.O.s fully equipped and twenty six partly equipped with the Potez 63.11. Production was a little too slow to allow for this, but a creditable thirty-four G.A.O.s had received some Potez 63.11s by the start of the German offensive (an average of six each). The Potez 63.11 was also used to supplement and then replace the Potez 637 in the reconnaissance groups. Seven of these groups had completely converted to the type by May 1940, and another seven were using it alongside older aircraft. On 10 May 1940 a total of 238 Potez 63.11s were available to front line units, 396 had been allocated to units and 691 had been taken on charge.

Sadly this doesn't tell the whole story. On 10 May 70% of the Potez 63.11s with the G.A.O.s were unserviceable, and large numbers were destroyed on the ground. Despite the large number of unallocated aircraft only 92 were available in the reserve during the Battle of France. Losses were also heavy in the air, with most aircraft being shot down by flak. At the end of the battle just under 500 aircraft remained, so around 200 had been destroyed during the campaign. The Potez 63.11 crews had made a valiant attempt to provide the army with its flying eyes, but sadly without having much impact on the course of the battle.

The Potez 63.11 remained in use with the Vichy Air Force. Immediately after the armistice G.R. I/14, II/14 and I/22 retained the type in Vichy France and G.R. II.39 and G.A.O. I/583 used the type in Syria. By the end of 1940 one group had converted to the Potez 63.11 in North Africa, and a second followed in October 1941. In July 1941 Escadrille de Renseignements No.555 on Madagascar had re-equipped with the type. The Potez 63.11 in Vichy service fought against the Allies on several occasions. G.R. II/39 and G.A.O. I/583 used the type during the Allied invasion of Vichy occupied Syria in the summer of 1941. In May 1942 the British invaded Madagascar to prevent the Japanese from using it as a submarine base. Most of the Potez 63.11s were destroyed during the initial invasion, but one survived and was used to harass the advancing British columns as they slowly occupied the rest of the island, a campaign that lasted until 6 November 1942.

When the Allies invaded French North Africa in November 1942 two units were still equipped with the Potez 63.11, G.R. I/52 in Morocco, G.R. II/63 at Bamako and the Navy's Escadrille 4BR in Algeria. G.R. I/52 lost all of its aircraft in American bombing raids on the first day of the invasion. G.R. II/63 survived until the French forces in North Africa changed sides. The unit was used to ferry ammunition from 12 December 1942 to 3 January 1943, at a crucial stage in the first attempt to reach Tunisia. Around 120 Potez 63.11s were completed for the Germans during 1941. They also captured a sizable number of Potez 63.11s after the occupation of Vichy France at the end of 1942. About 100 of them were sent to flying schools to make up for the desperate shortage of training aircraft in Germany, while others were given to the Luftdienstkommandos attached to airfields.

 

[gekho]

The best fighter in the world." In 1937, these words were used at the Brussels Air Show to define the prototype of Morane-Saulnier's latest combat plane, which had recently completed a series of flight tests and official evaluations. Aside from this advertising statement, it became the founder of a long series of over 1,000 aircraft (1,081 to be precise) that were produced up till June 1940 and that earned a prominent place in aviation history for many reasons. The Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 was the first modern aircraft of its category to go into service in the units of the Armee de I'Air and it was built in remarkable quantities compared to French production standards of the time, second only to the two-engine Potez 630 series, and, above all, it was the fighter available in the greatest numbers when the war broke out. The project was launched on the basis of specifications issued in 1934, and the prototype (built in great secrecy) made its first flight on August 8, 1935. Designated the M.S.405, it was a low-wing monoplane with retractable landing gear, powered by an 860 hp Hispano-Suiza 12 Ygrs engine. It had an all-metal airframe with a covering of aluminium, plywood, and canvas, and an enclosed cockpit. The armament consisted of a 20 mm cannon installed in the propeller shaft and two machine guns in the wings.

Right from its first flight, the features of the aircraft proved to be excellent, especially its speed, which reached 303 mph (489 km/h) at 13,200 ft (4000 m) and just over 250 mph (400 km/h) at sea level. The latter meant that the Morane-Saulnier became the first French fighter to break the 250 mph (400 km/h) barrier. After the initial flight tests, the first prototype was joined by a second (with modifications to the propeller and the wings), and both these aircraft faced a series of official evaluations. At the beginning of 1937, the company received an order for 15 pre-series aircraft, and the second of these (which took to the air on May 20, 1938) became the progenitor of the M.S.406, the differences consisted mainly in the use of a different engine, a different type of propeller, and in structural modifications, especially to the wing. The aircraft was chosen for production in this definitive version on the basis of an order that, in March 1938, amounted to 1,000 planes. In order to guarantee this large quantity, assembly lines were set up in several factories and, within a short space of time, the delivery rate was quite high. By September 1939, 572 M.S.406s had already left the factories.

The first unit to receive the new fighter was the 6th Escadre de Chasse, in December 1938. Other units followed, and immediately before mobilization in August 1939, 12 groups had been equipped with the aircraft. However, from the beginning of its operational service, it became apparent that the 406 was distinctly inferior to its direct adversary, the Messerschmitt Bf.109E. During the Battle of France, 150 Moranes were lost, as compared to 1 91 enemy aircraft definitely hit and another 89 probably hit. A further hundred or so Moranes were destroyed on the ground, and about 150 were damaged beyond repair by the French crews to prevent their failing into enemy hands. After the armistice, some Morane 406s remained in service in the Vichy air force (where they were mainly used for training), and others were handed over by the Germans to Finland, which had received 30 aircraft in 1940. The 'Morko Moraani' was created in Finland by converting French Morane-Saulnier MS.406 and MS.410 fighters to accept captured Soviet Klimov M-105P engines. The M-105P was a development of the original Hispano-Suiza HS 12Y engine, and developed 200 hp (149 kw) more. A total of 41 were converted; the engines were supplied by Germany. Germany also supplied the new Mauser 20 mm cannon and oil cooler. The Morko remained in service until 1948. Another foreign buyer was Switzerland, which, after having acquired two M.S.406s, built 82 aircraft on license (designated EFW-3800) as well as 207 of a subsequent home-developed version known as EFW-3801.

Source: Morane Saulnier MS.406

 

[gekho]

In July 1934 Avions Mareel Bloch was a contender in a design competition which resulted from a French air ministry specification for a new fighter. Submissions were received also from Dewoitine, Loire, Morane-Saulnier and Nieuport, with Morane-Saulnier eventually selected as the winner. So far as Bloch was concerned, this was no close-drawn decision with its design team chewing its finger nails because it had been beaten to the pylon by the thickness of the paint skin on the propeller. True, it was biting its finger nails; but this was probably because its Bloch M.B.150.01 prototype could not be induced to part company with the security of mother earth.

Nothing further happened for about nine months until, in early 1937, it was decided to force the 'ugly duckling' into the air. This was achieved in October 1937 after the provision of a strengthened wing of greater area, revised landing gear, and installation of a 701 kW (940 hp) Gnome-Rhone 14No radial engine with a three-blade constant speed propeller. Handed over to the Centre d'Essais du Materiel Aerien (CEMA) for service trials, its performance proved sufficiently interesting to warrant further development. This brought, at the very beginning of 1938, a small increase in wing span and installation of a Gnome-Rhone 14N-7 engine. When trials were completed in the late spring of 1938, SNCASO was awarded an order for a pre-production batch of 25 of these aircraft.

Preparatory work before initiation of construction of the aircraft, in a new SNCASO factory, brought realisation thatdesignoftheM.B.150.Ol was totally unsuited for mass production. The only solution was another redesign, during which wing area was reduced and the Gnome-Rh6ne 14N-11 engine selected for installation. It was in this form that a new prototype, redesignated M.B.151.01, flew for the first time on 18 August 1938. Construction of the balance of the pre-production order had already started by then, but despite the growing urgency of the situation only four of these aircraft had been delivered by April 1939. Simultaneously, SNCASO's design team had been working on an improved version, but the only significant difference between this and the M.B.151.01 lay in the installation of a 768 kW (1,030 hp) Gnome-Rhone 14N-21 engine. First flown in December 1938 the new prototype, designated M.B.152.01, was provided with the slightly more powerful Gnome-Rhone 14N-25 before being handed over to the CEMA for flight testing in February 1939. The improved performance of this version created positive reaction, with a firm order being placed for 400 production aircraft, of which 340 were to be M.13.152s, the balance the earlier M.B.151s.

Unfortunately, equally positive action did not materialise on the production line, and by the out-break of World War 11 in September 1939 a combined total of 120 M.B.151 and M.B.152s had been delivered. Even more unfortunately, not one of these could be used in action, for all were without gunsights and 95 of them could not be used at all, for they had been delivered without propellers. This was the moment when pressure of circumstances should have eliminated all petty difficulties, but even by the end of November, at which time 358 had been delivered, 157 were still without propellers and there were serious problems with engine overheating which needed attention.

Despite the problems, the Armee de I'Air did everything possible to speed introduction of what was potentially a valuable addition to its inventory. An experimental squadron was formed in September 1939, and initial deliveries to the fighter groupes began in the following month. Initial unit to convert to the type was Groupe de Chasse Ill, and by the end of 1939 newly equipped groupes included II/1 and II/10, III/9 and III/10, and the French Navy's Escadrille AC-3. All were to discover that their M.B.151s and M.B.152s possessed the desirable attributes of a combat aircraft, and it was tragic that indifference and political intrigue forced so many courageous pilots of the Armee de I'Air to lose their lives in obsolete aircraft, instead of being able to contest the Luftwaffe on more equal terms with fighters such as the M.B.152.

When the German armoured Divisions swept through France in May 1940, Groupes I/8, II/8 and II/9 had also been equipped with these fighters and, just before this, nine M.B.151s had been supplied to the Greek air force. After the collapse of France and conclusion of the Franco-German Armistice, six groupes of the Vichy French air force retained M.B.151 and M.B.152 aircraft, namely I/l and I/8, II/1, II/8 and II/9, III/9, and when SNCASO production ended at the same time a total of more than 600 had been built. When, subsequently, three of these groupes were re-equipped with Dewoitine fighters, the M.B.151s and M.B.152s were handed over to the Romanian air force. The only variant comprised one M.B.153.01 prototype, an M.B.152 taken from the production line and re-engined with a 783 kW (1,050 hp) Pratt Whitney R-1830-SC3-G Twin Wasp engine.

Source: Bloch MB 152

 

[Wayne Little]

 

[gekho]

In 1936, the Ministry for the Air initiated a programme of modernisation of French aviation which included a request concerning a general-purpose passenger aircraft that could also be used for missions of light bombardment and reconnaissance. The Bloch workshops proposed the MB.170 then, after many modifications, the definitive MB.174 version. After the 50th example was delivered in May 1940, the MB.175 succeeded the MB.174 on the assembly lines in full flow. This version, a dedicated bomber, had a redesigned bomb bay capable of carrying bombs of 100-200 kg (220-440 lb), where the MB.174 was limited to 50 kg (110 lb) bombs. The MB.175's fuselage was lengthened and widened to accommodate this greater capacity, but only 25 specimens were delivered before France's defeat. They were eventually used in the same reconnaissance units as the MB.174s. The MB.176 was a version with Pratt Whitney R-1830 radial engines but which proved to have poorer performance than the MB.175. It was ordered into production in order to ease demand on the French engine manufacturers.

The Bloch MB.174 flew for the first time in July 1939 and entered in active service in March 1940. It was issued to strategic reconnaissance units where it replaced the Potez 637 that had proved too vulnerable during the Phoney war. Its first operational mission was flown by the famed pilot and writer, Cap. Antoine de Saint-Exupery, of Groupe de Reconnaissance II/33, on 29 March 1940. The Bloch 174 appeared extremely effective in these missions as its speed and maneuverability at altitude allowed it to escape from most modern Luftwaffe fighters. Only 3 examples were lost to enemy fire during the Battle of France. However, like the majority of the modern equipment of the Armée de l'Air during the campaign, they arrived too late and in insufficient numbers. At the time of the armistice, most surviving MB.174s and 175s had been evacuated to North Africa. A few were recovered by the Germans and then used for pilot training. During the Vichy government rule on the French empire, MB.174s frequently flew over Gibraltar to monitor the British fleet.

In March 1941, German engineers used engines taken from MB.175s (as well as other captured aircraft) to propel the Messerschmitt Me 323 cargo aircraft, some of which actually flew with parts taken from already complete MB.175s. After Operation Torch, as French forces split from Vichy to side with the Allies, remaining examples of the MB.170 line flew their final combat missions during the battle of Tunisia. They were replaced by reconnaissance variants of the P-38 Lightning, and used as transports and target tugs. A final version designed for the torpedo bomber role, the MB.175T, was built in small series in 1947 and served with the Aéronavale until 1950.

 

[gekho]

Marcel Riffard, who joined the French company Societe Anonyme des Avions Caudron as chief designer in 1932, became renowned during the next four years when well streamlined racing aircraft of his design won the Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe contests in 1934, 1935 and 1936. The excellence of the basic design induced the company to develop a lightweight fighter aircraft that would benefit from the experience gained in construction and development of the Coupe Deutsch contenders, leading to the Caudron C.710 prototype which flew for the first time on 18 July 1936.

The C.710, despite its small size and weight, soon showed its potential for development, for even with fixed landing gear and armed by two 20mm cannon its 336kW Renault 12Ro1 engine was sufficient to provide a maximum speed that exceeded that of many contemporary fighters. This led to the C.713 Cyclone, first flown in December 1937, which was generally similar in overall design and powerplant, but which introduced retractable tailwheel type landing gear and redesigned vertical tail surfaces. Final evolution of Riffard's design was the C.714.01 prototype, first flown in the summer of 1938, which differed by having some structural strengthening and a wing of improved profile.

The factory testing of this prototype confirmed Riffard's performance estimates, and it was handed over to the CEMA for trials in September 1938. In November there followed an order for 100 C.714 production aircraft which were required to have four 7.5mm wing-mounted machine-guns. Of low-wing cantilever monoplane configuration, the C.714 was an all-wood construction, except that all control surfaces had light alloy framework and fabric covering. The wing section was so shallow that it wasnot possible to mount machine-guns conventionally, within the wing structure, and special streamlined pods were designed, these carrying a pair of guns beneath each wing.

Production began in the summer of 1939, and 50 of the aircraft which had been intended to serve with the Armee de I'Air were diverted to the assistance of Finland, but only six had been received by 12 March 1940, the balance being presumed to have been lost en route. It is believed that about 40 C.714s were delivered to the French air force, which, after some 90 had been built, cancelled production because of dissatisfaction with the type's rate of climb. They were used to equip an all-Polish squadron which became known as the 'Warsaw Group' (GC 1/145), this unit seeing action against the Germans between 2-13 June 1940. Following the collapse of France, a small number were used by the Vichy French air force, and about 20 were confiscated by the Germans for use by the Luftwaffe.

 

[gekho]

When Emile Dewoitine designed a new fighter to meet the French Air Ministry Programme A23, which in its revised form called for a maximum speed of 520km/h, he was inspired to give it the designation D.520. The prototype flew for the first time on 2 October 1938 with Marcel Doret at the controls. Performance was disappointing and so the second prototype had wing radiators replaced with a ventral unit and introduced a sliding cockpit hood. The third prototype replaced the tailskid with a tailwheel. The D.520 had no real rival in France and was ordered in quantity. Main production lines were at the SNCAM Toulouse factories. For the first time in France women joined the workforce and sub-contractors previously outside the aircraft industry were employed. Each aircraft required only half the man-hours needed to build the main French fighter at that time, the MS 406.

The first production aircraft flew on 31 October 1939, but many modifications were required. By the time the German Blitzkrieg was launched only 50 D.520s were with front-line units. By 22 June 1940, 220 were in service. They did well in combat, claiming 77 definite victories against only 34 losses. Vichy units included four Groupes de Chasse and two Aeronavale escadrilles in North Africa. Production restarted for a period by Vichy and then resumed under German supervision. The 891st and last aircraft left the factory in August 1944. Vichy D.520s fought in Syria and in North Africa during the Allied landings. Seventy-five went to the Regia Aeronautica and 100 to Bulgaria, where they flew with the 6th Fighter Regiment. Final operations were with the Free French 'Groupe Doret' against German poc kets of resistance in France from November 1944 to May 1945. Post-World War II, a few were converted as D.520 DC two-seat dual-control trainers.

Powered by a supercharged 678kW Hispano-Suiza 12Y45 engine, the D.520 was armed with an engine-mounted HS-404 20mm cannon and four wing-mounted 7.5mm MAC machine-guns. The wing was a single-spar structure with duralumin skinning. Ailerons were fabric-covered and flaps pneumatically operated. The fuselage was an all-metal monocoque structure and the wide-track undercarriage legs retracted inwards into the wing profile.

 

[vikingBerserker]

Excellent.

 

[wheelsup_cavu]

Neat pictures. 8)


Wheels

 

[Wayne Little]

The 520 is a nice looking machine..