Potez 34

The Potez 34 was a recording breaking aircraft, designed and built in France in the late 1920s. Only one was completed.

Potez 34
Role	Record breaking aircraft
National origin	France
Manufacturer	Henry Potez
First flight	25 May 1928
Number built	1
Developed from	Potez 28

Design and development

The Potez 34 was built by Aéroplanes Henry Potez and was derived from the Potez 28M and used the Ryan NYP's blind flying / periscope configuration.^[1]

Intended to win the distance record in closed circuit and then in a straight line, the first record attempts of the Potez 34 were punctuated by tyre punctures and oil leaks. Modifications were made including the exchange of the Farman engine with a lighter Hispano-Suiza and the adoption of a metal propeller. On 18 June 1929, the French distance in closed circuit record was beaten over a course of 6,517 km (4,049 mi) flown by Lionel de Marmier and Louis Favreau, but the world record could not be broken due to a technical failure.^[2] On 25 June 1929, the same crew attempted to break the distance record in a straight line, flying to the Far East, but propeller vibrations necessitated a landing in Tunisia and the failure of the attempt.

The Potez 34 was lent by the Ministere de l'Air to Joseph Le Brix, assisted by Maurice Rossi, for a flight from Paris to Saigon, with three stops at Benghazi, Basra and Allahabad. The attempt began 16 December 1929 and a breakdown occurred over Burma on the night of 22 to 23 December 1929, the aircraft crashed into the jungle but the crew parachuted to safety.^[3]

Variations

34.1

Farman Engine 12 We

34.2

Hispano-Suiza engine 12 Lbr

Users

•  France

Armée de l'Air

Specifications

Data from ^[4]

General characteristics

• Crew: Two
• Length: 11.50 m (37 ft 9 in)
• Wingspan: 18.30 m (60 ft 0 in)
• Height: 3.91 m (12 ft 10 in)
• Wing area: 61 m² (660 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 1,900 kg (4,189 lb)
• Gross weight: 5,920 kg (13,051 lb)
• Fuel capacity: 350 L (77 imp gal; 92 US gal) in wing tanks.
• Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 12Lbr liquid cooled V-12, 450 kW (600 hp)
• Propellers: 2-bladed

Performance

• Maximum speed: 242 km/h (150 mph, 131 kn) at sea level
• Cruise speed: 150 km/h (93 mph, 81 kn)
• Ferry range: 6,700 km (4,200 mi, 3,600 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 4,500 m (14,800 ft)