PIERRE BREGERIE COLLECTION
No. 9601. Leopoldoff L7 Colibri (G-AYKS c/n 125)
Photographed by Bill Cooper, April 2005

Leopoldoff L7 Colibri

01/31/2010. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "The little Leopoldoff Colibri (Hummingbird) biplanes with their tandem open cockpits have been a significant part of the French light aviation scene for many years. The L3 was originally designed in 1932 as an economical private and club machine by a Russian emigrant, Lev Leopoldoff (born Saratov, Russia 1898, died Paris, France 1957).

Powered by a 35 hp Anzani engine, the first aircraft (F-ANRX c/n 01) flew at Toussus-le-Noble on September 27, 1933, while the first production L3s, built by Aucouturier-Dugoua & Cie, appeared in 1936, fitted with a 45 hp Salmson 9Adb radial engine. Most of the 24 pre-war examples were produced by the Société des Avions Leopoldoff.

After WW II six were produced in Morocco by CAM (Société des Constructions Aéronautiques du Maroc), designated CAM-1. Nearly 100 more L3s and variants (fitted with different engines) were produced (some converted from L3s) by Leopoldoff, SCANOR (Société de Construction Aéronautique du Nord) and amateurs, including the:

Created January 31, 2010