It was a large, two bay biplane with very similar, thin section upper and lower wings, though with dihedral (1.5°) on the lower wing only. The wings were built around pairs of Warren girder spars, similar ribs and fabric covering. Each had a rectangular plan inner section extending to mid-span and swept, constant chord panels beyond. The 9° of sweep was to keep the centre of gravity and of pressure together. They were braced together without stagger by pairs of parallel, steel interplane struts and the upper, central wing panel passed high above the fuselage on cabane struts. The trailing edges of the outer panels were entirely occupied by externally connected, unbalanced ailerons on both upper and lower wings.[1]
Its four water-cooled, {{convert|370|hp|kW|abbr=on|order=flip}} Lorraine-Dietrich 12Da[5] V12 engines were in push-pull configuration pairs sharing long, continuous, streamlined cowlings. Each pair was mounted close to the fuselage and to the lower wing on inverted V-struts[ and shared a rectangular radiator on the forward V-strut.[1] All engines drove Lumière-Leitner-Watts metal propellers, two-bladed on the forward engines and three-bladed pushers behind, operating in the faster airflow from the forward engines.][ The three-bladed propellers are seen in a photograph from the 1922 Paris Salon,][ though Le Génie Civil states that the rear propellers had four blades and had a diameter of {{convert|2.60|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, smaller than those in front.[1] Their pitches could be adjusted on the ground.]
The fuselage of the Henri-Paul was a steel tube structure with four longerons and aluminium alloy tube bracing producing a flat-sided, rectangular section which tapered to the rear.[ The forward fuselage was covered with aluminium alloy panels, the rest with fabric. There were six upright cylindrical fuel tanks within the fuselage, three on each side with a walkway between them. Pilot and co-pilot/navigator/gunner sat side-by-side in an open cockpit well ahead of the wings and in the plane of the forward propellers, and there was a gunner's position in the extreme nose and another a little behind the trailing edge. These four positions were shared between three crew.[1]]
The Schneider had a biplane tail with rectangular plan, blunt-tipped tailplanes braced on each side with two pairs of parallel interplane struts and another parallel pair from below. They carried balanced, externally connected elevators. There were three fins, the outer ones narrow, rectangular and between the tailplanes, but the central, triangular one extended forward over the fuselage. All three carried tapered, trapezoidal rudders, which projected aft of the tailplane's trailing edges; the central rudder was used only if an engine failed, to trim the asymmetry.[1]
The bomber had conventional, tailskid landing gear. The mainwheels were in pairs below the engines, each set mounted on a pair of longitudinal frames attached to the wing by a pair of transverse V-struts from the forward wing spars, one to each end of the frames, and another V-strut from the rear spar to the rear of the frames. The axles were connected transversely to the frames via hinged mountings with rubber cord shock absorbers.[1] Early (October 1922) photographs show it with an additional large forward wheel to avoid nose-overs[16] but this had gone by December.[1]
The Henri-Paul's first flights were made from Le Havre but by mid-October 1922 its third flight, piloted by Jean Casale, had taken it to Villacoublay to begin its official tests.[16] In December 1922 it was on display at the 8th Paris Aero Show[ but there are no known reports of its further development in the French records.]
Specifications
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Flight, February 1923[, French aircraft of the First World War[1]]
|prime units?=met
|genhide=
|crew=3[1] (4)[2]
|capacity=
|length m=19.98
|span m=30
|height m=6.1
|wing area sqm=220
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=6500
|empty weight note=without fuel
|gross weight kg=10020
|gross weight note= with {{convert|1700|kg|lb|abbr=on}} fuel
|max takeoff weight kg=
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity=
|more general=
|eng1 number=4
|eng1 name=Lorraine-Dietrich 12Da
|eng1 type=water-cooled V-12
|eng1 hp=370
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=tractor and pusher propellers.
|prop dia m=2.90
|prop dia note=Lumière-Leitner-Watts ground-adjustable propellers also fitted during testing.[1]
|max speed kmh=160
|max speed note=at ground level
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed mph=
|stall speed kts=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|minimum control speed kmh=
|minimum control speed mph=
|minimum control speed kts=
|minimum control speed note=
|range km=750
|endurance=
|ceiling m=5000
|ceiling note=absolute
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=13 min to {{convert|2000|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading lb/sqft=
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass=
|more performance=
- Take-off distance: {{convert|300|m|ft|abbr=on}}[1]
- Landing distance: {{convert|200|m|ft|abbr=on}}[1]
- Landing speed: {{convert|80|km/h|mph kn|abbr=on}}[1]
|armament=*2x {{cvt|37|mm|2}} and 1x {{cvt|75|mm|2}} cannon (proposed but not fitted)[1]
}}
References
{{Commons category}}1. ^1 {{cite book |last1=Davilla |first1=Dr. James J. |last2=Soltan |first2=Arthur M. |title=French aircraft of the First World War |publisher=Flying Machines Press |isbn=1891268090 |pages=458-459}}
2. ^{{cite web |last1=Parmentier |first1=Bruno |title=Schneider 'Henri-Paul' |url=https://www.aviafrance.com/aviafrance1.php?ID=7678&ID_CONSTRUCTEUR=1180&ANNEE=0&ID_MISSION=0&MOTCLEF= |website=Aviafrance |accessdate=7 December 2018 |location=Paris |language=French |date=8 December 2017}}
3. ^1 2 {{cite journal |date=19 October 1922|title=Le Quadri-moteurs SCHNEIDER|journal=Les Ailes|issue=70 |pages=2|url=http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6556016h/f2}}
4. ^1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 {{cite journal |date=2 December 1922|title=L'avion métallique quadrimoteur, Type Henri-Paul|journal=Le Génie Civil|issue=2103|pages=505-510|url=http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6487632k/f1}}
5. ^1 {{cite web |url=https://www.aviafrance.com/schneider-henri-paul--aviation-france-7678.htm|title=Schneider "Henri-Paul" |author=Bruno Parmentier |date=12 February 2000 |accessdate=25 October 2017}}
[3][4][5]
}} 5 : Four-engined push-pull aircraft|French bomber aircraft 1920–1929|Schneider aircraft|Biplanes|Aircraft first flown in 1922