WI the Breguet Deux-Ponts had been powered with turboprops?

[Default Setting]

The Breguet 761 "Deux-Ponts" is moderately famous among aviation enthusiasts as an early example of double-decker airliner, but with only 20 assembled, it didn't have much success. Could it have enjoyed a longer career if, instead of Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines, it had been fitted with turboprops? Possibly the Allison T56 which powered the Lockheed Hercules.

[KiwiZac]

Now there's an idea. I'm not really a fan of the type but it provides scope for much whiffery!

[PR19_Kit]

My Dad used to take me to Heathrow to watch those monster things fly in from Paris. Like quite a few other types, the Connies and Startocruisers to name but two, they always seemed to land nosewheel first! 

They didn't actually, the pilot always flared but right at the very last moment. It must have been something to do with the wing's incidence relative to the ground line, but I was used to it as Beverleys did the same trick.

I'd have thought that turboprops on a Deux Ponts would have been a pretty logical step, I wonder why they didn't. I can't think what the Armee de l'Air replaced their Sahara freighters with until the C-160 came along. Can any of our French members educate me on that please?

[KiwiZac]

Re the nosewheel-first thing, WIX recently had a discussion on it: http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=64601

Wikipedia isn't very helpful - unlike many other air forces, the AdA entry doesn't include historic aircraft. The history section for the aircraft itself is pretty light too:

In October 1955 an order for 30 Breguet Br.765 Sahara aircraft for the Armée 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 64 Escadre 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 the Pacific nuclear testing areas. The Sahara fleet was retired in 1972.

[Rheged]

It's just about within the timescale to use Rolls Royce Tynes on the Deux Ponts.  The early Tynes had a fair number of brake horses to their credit!

[jcf]

Well, you'd only need two Tynes and you'd be way up on power with two at 6,100hp vs. four at 2,800hp. 

Four Proteus would be a possibility.

[PR19_Kit]

Re the nosewheel-first thing, WIX recently had a discussion on it: http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=64601

Very interesting, but I'm surprised the Connie didn't come up in that all-American discussion though.

It seemed to have been a characteristic of large piston engine transports of the 50s, and didn't seem to occur before or afterwards.

[rickshaw]

Re the nosewheel-first thing, WIX recently had a discussion on it: http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=64601

Very interesting, but I'm surprised the Connie didn't come up in that all-American discussion though.

It seemed to have been a characteristic of large piston engine transports of the 50s, and didn't seem to occur before or afterwards.

Wing angle versus first generation of nose-wheeled passenger aircraft, Kit.   The wing was angled upwards to give good lift at cruise and the nose wheel was therefore lower than the main gear.   Jet engines eliminated the need for the wing angle and so the nose-wheel first aspect largely disappeared.

[PR19_Kit]

Wing angle versus first generation of nose-wheeled passenger aircraft, Kit.   The wing was angled upwards to give good lift at cruise and the nose wheel was therefore lower than the main gear.   Jet engines eliminated the need for the wing angle and so the nose-wheel first aspect largely disappeared.

Which begs the questions if the B-24, A-20, B-25, B-26 or A-26 did it too?

I've noticed that B-29s did, and it's mentioned at length in that link above, but I can't say I've noticed the other types doing it too.

[Default Setting]

It's just about within the timescale to use Rolls Royce Tynes on the Deux Ponts.  The early Tynes had a fair number of brake horses to their credit!

Interesting idea, especially as Tynes were installed on another Breguet airplane just a few years later, the Atlantic.

[PR19_Kit]

Hmm, apparently not..........

[Captain Canada]

Great shot of a neat aeroplane ! The turbo-prop does indeed sound logical.