| Deux-Ponts / Provence / Sahara / Universel | |
|---|---|
 Air France Br.763 Deux Ponts | |
| General information | |
| Type | Airliner and freighter |
| Manufacturer | Breguet Aviation |
| Primary users | Air France |
| Number built | 20 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 10 March 1953 |
| First flight | 15 February 1949 |
| Retired | 31 March 1971 |
TheBreguet 761/763/765 are a family of 1940s and 1950s Frenchdouble-deck transport aircraft produced byBreguet Aviation. The aircraft were normally called theDeux-Ponts (Double-Decker) but it was not an official name.
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Breguet began design work on theBreguet 761 double-deckairliner even before the end of theSecond World War, in1944. It was decided that a medium-range airliner with seating for over 100 passengers would be built. The design envisaged using readily available engines with the aim of ease of manufacture and an early first-flight date. The design was known asProject 76-1. The aircraft was destined not to be the first French postwar design to fly, an honour which instead fell to theSud-Est Languedoc, a civil version of the Bloch MB161. Theprototype Br.761, F-WASK, first flew atVillacoublay on 15 February 1949.[1]
The 761 featured acantilever wing set at mid-height on the bulkyfuselage. The retractable tricycle landing gear featured dual-wheel main units. Theempennage had twinfins andrudders and a vestigial central fin.[2] The prototype was powered by four 1,580 hp (1,180 kW)SNECMA 14R-24radial engines.[3] The Breguets serving with Air France had up to 107 seats and an elevator between the two floors.[citation needed]
The prototype was followed by threeBr.761S pre-production aircraft powered by 2,020 hp (1506 kW)Pratt & Whitney R-2800-B31 radial engines. These were fitted with 12 ft 1½in (3.70 m) diameterHamilton Standard propellers. The aircraft successfully completed their trials incident-free. Their first flights were in 1951 and 1952.[1]
TheFrench Government ordered 12 production aircraft, the Breguet 76-3, which was later redesignated Br.763. Six aircraft were to be operated byAir France and the other six by theMinistry of Transport. The 763 had more powerful engines, a 1.20 metres (3 ft 11 in) larger wingspan, strengthened wings and a three-crewflight deck (earlier aircraft had four crew). The 763 first flew on 20 July 1951 and entered service with Air France during autumn 1952.[1]
The Air France aircraft had accommodation for 59 passengers on the top deck, and 48 on the lower deck, although the aircraft was capable of carrying 135 passengers in a high-density layout.[1] During 1964 Air France transferred six Br.763s to theFrench Air Force. The air force also acquired the three pre-production Br.761S aircraft and four newBr.765 Sahara freighter aircraft with removable cargo doors.
Projects to build versions powered with British engines (for possible United Kingdom buyers) did not come to fruition. The projects would have been the766 (with theBristol Herculesradial engine), and the767 with Britishturboprop engines.
The prototype Br.761 entered service withAir Algérie in 1952 as a cargo aircraft. It was withdrawn early the next year.Silver City Airways leased a Br.761 for three months in the summer of1953 for use on theHamburg -Berlin route. A total of 127 round trips carried 4,000,000 pounds (1,800 t) of freight with up to three round trips being made in a day, each leg taking 52 minutes flight time. It was rumoured that Silver City would purchase three aircraft at £770,000 but this did not materialise into a sale.[1]
The Breguet Br.763Provence entered service with Air France on 10 March 1953. The inaugural route wasLyon -Algiers. The type was used on European routes fromParis, mainly to the Mediterranean area, but occasionally toLondon. Domestic routes included Paris to Lyon,Marseille andNice.[1]
Six aircraft were used in response to a serious incident atSalat, Algeria where French oil rig engineers were in need of assistance. A total of 60 tonnes of heavy equipment and 200 personnel were moved to and from Algiers in four days.[1]
The introduction of theSud Aviation Caravelle rendered theProvence obsolete as a passenger aircraft. The Caravelle was faster, more comfortable and had a greater range. In1958, Breguet borrowed F-BASQ from Air France for a sales tour to North and South America. This was the aircraft which had force-landed atPont-Évêque in 1955. The tour covered 25,000 miles (40,000 km), and took in the cities ofNew York, Washington, D.C. andMiami in the United States,Bogotá in Colombia,Santiago in Chile,Rio de Janeiro andBrasília in Brazil. The tour failed to generate any orders. In North America, thejet age had begun, while the aircraft had too great a capacity for operators in South America, despite being cheaper on a cost-per-seat to operate than aDouglas DC-4. TheProvence was used on fewer and fewer passenger services, being replaced by the Caravelle andVickers Viscount. Six aircraft were transferred to the Armée de l'Air. Air France converted the six remaining Br.763s into freighters with the nameUniversel.[4] These remained in service on European freight services until the early 1970s. The final flight was on 31 March 1971 fromHeathrow toParis-Orly. A double-deckAEC Routemaster bus was parked alongside the aircraft to mark the retirement of the Br.763 from service.[1]
In October 1955 an order for 30 Breguet Br.765Sahara aircraft for theArmée de l'Air was announced. This order was cancelled by the end of the year, but construction on four aircraft was so far advanced that they were completed. These entered service with 64Escadre de Transport.[1]
The French Air Force acquired the three pre-production Br.761S aircraft, these and the six Sahara aircraft acquired from Air France provided the French Air Force with a valuable transport fleet for moving personnel and materials to thePacific nuclear testing areas. The Sahara fleet was retired in 1972.
The Breguet Deux-Ponts had an excellent safety record.
France
United Kingdom
Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1953–54[2]
General characteristics
Performance
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
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