20
Wibault of the series 280T was built since the date by the first
flight in 1930. They so distribute :
- 1
Wibault 280T
- 1
Wibault 281T
- 8
Wibault 282T (Among which Wibault 280T et le 281T reconfigured)
- 10
Wibault 283T
To
date, of the 18 aircrafts manufactured, 18 are listed in the list
below :
In 1930,
the "Chantiers de Penhoet de Saint-Nazaire" presented
the Wibault 280T at the Salon de l'Aéronautique. The aircraft
is a monoplan triplane with low wing cantilever and fixed landing
gear. It is of entirely metallic construction, covered in duralumin.
It is powered by 3 Hispano-Suiza 9QA 300hp and can carry 10 passengers
and three crew members. He made his first flight to Villacoublay
in November 1930. A second prototype is built from the 280T: re-engineered
by 3 Gnome-Rhône 7Kb 300ch, it becomes the Wibault 281T.
The first
version of the series is the Wibault 282T equipped with 3 Gnome-Rhône
7Kd engines of 350ch. It is built in 6 copies, plus Wibault 280
and 281T which are reconfigured.
The ultimate
version is the Wibault 283T which made its first flights in 1934.
Its autonomy is improved by the adoption of larger tanks and its
empennage is changed. Its performance is improved thanks to the
adoption of new fairings of hoods and more efficient Ratier propellers.
The Wibault 282T and 283T are used by the airlines "Air Union",
"CIDNA" and "Air France" on airlines in the
Mediterranean, Africa, the East and Europe. "Air Union"
operated in particular the Wibault 282T on the Paris-London line
in 1933. In use, the aircraft is appreciated for its reliability,
but it is necessary to deplore the accidental loss of three aircraft
and their passengers.
At the outbreak
of hostilities, some Wibault will be requisitioned by the Air Force
and assigned to transport.
Two aircraft
will be sold to the Portuguese company "Aero-Portuguesa"
who operated from 1941 on the line Lisbon-Tangier-Casablanca.
