A New French Light Aeroplane: The Salmson Engine Firm Return to Aeroplane Design with a Three‐Seater Tourer

AEROPLANE manufacturers exhibit a growing tendency towards building their own engines; conversely, there are instances of engine manufacturers starting aeroplane construction. This is not exactly true of Société Salmson, the well‐known engine firm, since this concern produced large quantities of military machines during the war and has brought out some new designs since that period. Its directors recently decided to re‐enter the field of aeroplane design with a machine intended to provide for the requirements of the private owner. Hence the Phrygane, as it has been christened after a particular species of butterfly. This high‐wing three‐seater monoplane, fitted with a 135‐h.p. Mk. 9 Nc. Salmson engine, is the forty‐sixth design produced by the well‐known engineer, M. Deville, who, after starting his aeronautical career in 1911 with the Clément‐Bayard firm, later became a member of the technical staff of the Breguet‐Salmson works in England. M. Deville is a very practical man and he contends that small points which are often overlooked by designers of repute are worthy of exhaustive study, as they go a long way towards making all the difference between a perfect engineering job, which is however a nightmare to maintain, and a possibly less ambitious machine which is simple and easy to use or maintain.