Leduc's Futuristic Creations.
The Leduc-010 was a research aircraft built in France, one of the world’s first aircraft to fly powered solely by a ramjet.
Thus on November 19th 1946, with test pilot Jean Gonord at the controls of the Leduc-010 mounted atop SE-161 "Languedoc", the first flight was accomplished from the small airfield of Blagnac.
It would be several months before the 010 would be released in free gliding flight for the first time, which occurred on October 21st, 1947. At the end of this first free gliding flight, the plane overshot the short runway and the tires blew out.
After some flights in composite, two free gliding flights, followed by a long period of inactivities while waiting for the arrival of the essential equipment, the historical flight would finally take place. On April 21st, 1949, after being released in the air, test pilot Jean Gonord lit up the engine and established a climb using only the ramjet engine.
The flight of the Leduc-010 on April 21st 1949 represents the first flight of an aircraft solely propelled by a ramjet engine.
After this success, the tests were conducted with full force, and in just a few flights, the Leduc-010 proved the extraordinary capabilities, in particular its incredible rate of climb.
Jean Gonord found itself propelled to 11000 meters in just a few minutes. During another flight, it was the high-attained airspeed, which took him by surprise: upon reaching Mach 0.85 (1019km/h), he encountered the violent effects of compressibility, which resulted in bounces of more than 600 meters of altitude. It was undoubtedly the first French airplane to experience this phenomenon.
Rene Leduc was unable to go further as a private engineer, while he was still working part-time for the Breguet Company. Therefore, he created a company and returned to the Paris area, settling down in Argenteuil. Obtaining several state contracts for the construction and the testing of other prototypes, a second 010 was built.
Two 010 were tested there by Jean Gonord, helped by a second pilot: Yvan Littolff, under the direction of engineer Jean Corriol. A third prototype was built, equipped with two additional engines mounted on the wingtips. It was designated Leduc-016. Unfortunately, the development of the 016 model proved very delicate, and after various attempts, the wingtip engines were removed.
A trial run was carried out by the French Flight Test Center, with Jean Sarrail as the principal pilot. Unfortunately, following a technical failure, this trial run was ended with the destruction of the one of the 010, and with its pilot seriously wounded. In an other accident the second 010 was destucted.
The flights continued on the 016, which was then joined by two new much larger planes: the Leduc-021s. The two Leduc-021s totaled 385 flights, including 248 releases in free flights.
Once again, other test flights took place in 1955, shortly before the presentation at Le Bourget airshow.
It is interesting to note that, in addition to the originality of their propulsion system, the Leduc airplanes were the basis of numerous innovations. Among them, the use of one of the first turbines produced in France, used to drive the instruments, the supply of energy, the jettisoning of the cabin, the hydraulic servos, and the wings milled in the mass acting as integral structural tank.
The two 021s completed their career when the Leduc-022 accomplished its first flights, in December of 1956.
It was equipped with a centrally mounted turbojet, which enabled it to take off and fly on its own power, without the assistance of a transporter airplane. It totaled 141 flights during the following year, until a taxiing incident caused damages to the fuselage.
Meanwhile, the progress made by the turbojet engines equipped with afterburners, and France experienced the budget difficulty during the period of crisis in the Algerian war, it signaled the end for the prototypes in process of development.
The tests were cancelled in 1958, and Rene Leduc was constrained to give up his work as an aircraft manufacturer. René Leduc's company still exists, and it is now located east of France, where it manufactures hydraulic components.