BILL EWING COLLECTION
No. 12959. Nord 1500 Noreclair French Navy
Photograph from Musée de l'Air

Nord 1500 Noreclair

06/05/2016. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "The Nord 1500 Noréclair was developed to specifications of the French Navy for a carrier based torpedo-bomber. The sole example made its first flight on August 29, 1947. Eight years later the designation Nord 1500 was reused for the experimental high-speed interceptor Griffon."

Wings: Cantilever shoulder-wing monoplane. All-metal single-spar structure with gull-wing center section, and stressed metal skin. Outer wing sections folded rearwards about spar; hydraulic operation. All-metal ailerons with trim-tab in each on outer wings, and slotted trailing edge flaps between ailerons and fuselage divided by nacelles.
Fuselage: All-metal monocoque structure.
Tail unit: Cantilever monoplane type. Metal structure with metal-covered fin and tail plane and fabric covered rudder and elevators. Statically-balanced control surfaces with trim-tab in each.
Landing gear: Retractable two-wheel type. Main wheels 46.46x16.73 in (1,180x425 mm) carried on shock-absorber legs retracted rearwards into engine nacelles and were fully enclosed. Hydraulic operation. Track 17 ft 6.5 in (5.35 m). Tail wheel 22.05x9.29 in (560x236 mm) retracted rearwards into fuselage.
Power plant: Two Gnome & Rhône 14 R25 fourteen-cylinder two-row air-cooled radial engines each developing a maximum output of 1,600 hp at 2,600 rpm for take off, enclosed in tapered long-chord cowling and driving Ratier three-blade variable-pitch airscrew, 1l ft 9.5 in (3.60 m) diameter.
ACCOMMODIATON. Crew of three. Pilot's cockpit forward and enclosed dorsal position for gunner.
Armament: Twin machine guns in rear cockpit. Fuselage bomb-bay accommodated bombs or torpedoes.

Created June 6, 2016