Farman NC.470

NC.470
Role	Trainer floatplane
National origin	France
Manufacturer	SNCAC
First flight	27 December 1937
Primary user	French Navy
Number built	35

The Farman NC.470 (also known as the Centre N.C-470 when Farman was nationalised to form SNCAC) was a French twin-engined floatplane designed as a crew trainer for the French Navy. It was used in small numbers for both its intended role as a trainer and as a coastal reconnaissance aircraft at the start of World War II.

Development and design

In 1935, the Farman Aviation Works designed as a private venture the F-470, a twin-engined floatplane intended to be used as a crew trainer by the French Navy. A production order for ten aircraft was placed on 8 March 1936, it being intended that these aircraft would use spare floats left over from now retired Farman F.168 torpedo bombers.^[1]

In 1936, Farman was nationalised, and merged with Hanriot to form the Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Centre or SNCAC. The prototype, now redesignated NC-470, first flew, with a temporary wheeled undercarriage, on 27 December 1937.^[1]

The NC.470 was a twin-engined high-winged monoplane of mixed metal and wood construction, with two radial engines mounted on low mounted stub wings. It had a slab sided fuselage, housing the crew of two pilots in a tandem cockpit, a navigator/bombardier in the nose and a radio operator, flight engineer and gunner in the rear fuselage. The aircraft was designed to carry an armament of a single Darne machine gun on an open dorsal cockpit, together with up to 200 kg (440 lb) of bombs.^[2]^[3]

The first order for 10 NC.470s was completed by mid-1939,^[3] together with a single example of the NC.471, powered by a different model of Gnome et Rhône radial engine.^[2] Further orders brought production of the NC.470 to a total of 34.^[4]

Operational history

While intended as a crew trainer, a shortage of coastal reconnaissance aircraft resulted in NC.470s being drafted into this role, with three NC-470s and the sole NC-471 being used together with three CAMS 55 flying boats to equip Escadrille 3S4 at Berre in August 1939.^[2]^[5] The NC-470 was also used by the aircrew training school at Hourtin. Fourteen aircraft were captured by Germany during the occupation of Southern France in November 1942.^[6]

Variants

NC.470: Main production aircraft. Powered by two 358 kW (480 hp) Gnome-Rhône 9Akx radial engines. 34 built.
NC.471: Revised version, powered by 373 kW (500 hp) Gnome-Rhône 9Kgr engine. One built.^[2]
NC.472: Proposed version powered by 447 kW (600 hp) Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp. Unbuilt.^[2]

Operators

France

French Navy

Specifications (NC.471)

Data from War Planes of the Second World War Volume Six ^[6]

General characteristics

Crew: 6
Length: 16.10 m (52 ft 9⅞ in)
Wingspan: 24.45 m (80 ft 2½ in)
Height: 4.85 m (15 ft 11 in)
Wing area: 95.0 m² (1,022.6 ft²)
Empty weight: 3,717 kg (8,179 lb)
Loaded weight: 6,013 kg (13,228 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Gnome-Rhône 9Kgr 9 cylinder radial engine, 373 kW (500 hp) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 230 km/h (124 knots, 143 mph)
Cruise speed: 190 km/h (103 knots, 118 mph)
Range: 1,140 km ^[3] (616 nm, 708 mi)
Service ceiling: 6,000 m (19,685 ft)
Wing loading: 63.3 kg/m² (12.9 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.12 kW/kg (0.076 hp/lb)
Endurance: 6 hours
Climb to 2000 m (6,600 ft): 9 min 40 sec

Armament

Guns: 1 × 7.5 mm Darne machine gun
Bombs: 4 × 50 kg (110 lb) bombs

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Farman.

Notes

1 2 Green 1962, p.13.
1 2 3 4 5 Green 1962, p.14.
1 2 3 Donald 1997, p.405
↑ S.N.C.A.C. NC-470 Aviafrance. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
↑ Green 1968, p.19.
1 2 Green 1962, p.15.

Bibliography

Donald, David (editor). The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Leicester, UK:Blitz, 1997. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.
Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Five Flying Boats. London:Macdonald,1968. ISBN 0-356-01449-5.
Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Six Floatplanes. London:Macdonald, 1962.

Aircraft produced by Henri Farman, Maurice Farman, and Farman Aviation Works

Henri Farman	HF.6 HF.7 HF.10 HF.14 HF.16 HF.19 HF.20 HF.21 HF.22 HF.23 HF.24 HF.26 HF.27 HF.30 HF.206

Maurice Farman	MF.6 MF.7 MF.8 MF.9 MF.11 MF.16

Freres Farman/ Farman Aviation Works	I II III A.2 B.2 BN.4 F.3X F.4X F.21 F.30 F.31 F.40 F.41 F.50 (Landplane) F.50 (Flying Boat) F.51 F.56 F.60 F.60 Goliath F.63 Goliath FF.65 Sport Moustique F.70 F.73 F.80 F.110 F.120 F.130 F.140 F.150 F.160 F.162 F.166 F.167 F.168 F.169 F.170 F.180 F.190 F.200 F.209 F.211 F.220 F.230 F.250 F.270 F.280 F.290 F.300 F.310 F.350 F.360 F.370 F.380 F.390 F.400 F.410 F.420 F.430 F.450 F.455 F.460 F.470 F.480 F.500 F.510 F.520 F.1000 F.1010 F.1020

Aircraft produced by the Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Centre (SNCAC)

NC.130 NC.150 NC.223 NC.4-10 NC.420 NC.433 NC.47-0 NC.47-1 NC.47-2 NC.510 NC.530 NC.600 NC.700 NC.701 NC.702 NC.832 NC.840 NC.841 NC.850 NC.851 NC.853 NC.854 NC.855 NC.856 NC.860 NC.900 NC.1070 NC.1071 NC.1080 NC.2001 NC.211 NC.271 NC.3021

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