Breguet 393T

1933


PASSENGER	Virtual Aircraft Museum / France / Breguet

Development of the Breguet 393T three-engined passenger transport began with the Breguet 390T prototype, an all-metal sesquiplane which made its first flight in February 1931. During a test flight on 3 July 1931 a propeller broke away, the pilot losing his life when his parachute failed to open after he abandoned the aircraft. The Breguet 390T was completely destroyed in the ensuing crash.

A single Breguet 392T followed, replacing the Bre.390T's 179kW Gnome-Rhone 5Kd radials with 224kW Hispano-Suiza 9Qc engines, and completed as a freight carrier. Only one example appeared and it was followed later in 1933 by the prototype Breguet 393T. It differed by changes in interplane struts, by having fabric instead of metal fuselage covering, and by introducing a tailwheel and spat fairings for the mainwheel units. This aircraft was delivered to Air France in July 1934, being followed by two more examples later that year. The remaining three aircraft ordered by Air France were delivered in 1935.

The Breguet 393T had accommodation for a crew of two and 10 passengers, each passenger having a comfortable armchair beside a large window. The type flew regular routes between Toulouse and Casablanca, the Mediterranean leg of the route to South America, and later on the Natal-Buenos Aires stage in Brazil. Their final employment was on several European routes radiating from Paris.

Specification

MODEL	Breguet 393T
ENGINE	3 x Gnome-Rhone 7Kd Titan Major radial, 261kW
WEIGHTS
Take-off weight	6000 kg	13228 lb
Loaded weight	3966 kg	8744 lb
DIMENSIONS
Wingspan	20.71 m	68 ft 11 in
Length	14.76 m	48 ft 5 in
Wing area	66.46 m²	715.37 sq ft
PERFORMANCE
Max. speed	249 km/h	155 mph
Cruise speed	235 km/h	146 mph
Ceiling	5850 m	19200 ft
Range	975 km	606 miles

Comments

grahamclayton, e-mail, 07.05.2023 01:56

Huge differential in size between the upper and lower wing.

Fernando Vales, e-mail, 19.02.2010 14:27

I think the French had better airliners than military aircraft in the 1930s. At least in the sense of more attractive design features, cleaner lines and aerodynamical qualities and the Bregeut 393T and Dewoitine D338 illustrate this fairly well. The flying contraptions that the French defined as "military aircraft", like the Potez 540 and Bloch 200 were ugly ducklings and their performancve was mediocre at best--until more modern, sleak looking types like the Dewoitine 520 fighter and Potez 630 attack bombers came around---now those were REAL combat aircraft!! Nevertheless, French airliner designs have always been one of my favorites, alongside American, British, German and Dutch civil aircraft.

lxbfYeaa, e-mail, 14.03.2024

Fernando Vales

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