Georges Levy G.L.40

Last updated
G.L. 40
F-CFBA in San Sebastian, 1920.jpg
Roleamphibious aircraft
Manufacturer Hydravions Georges Lévy
DesignerBlanchard and Le Pen
First flight1917
IntroductionNovember 1917
Primary users French Air Force
Finnish Air Force

Georges Levy G.L. 40 HB2 was a three-seated French, amphibious biplane aircraft that was designed in 1917. The aircraft was designed by Blanchard and Le Pen and therefore the aircraft was also known as the Levy-Le Pen. Le Pen was Maurice Jules-Marie Le Pen born in Lorient, Morbihan, France in 1889; he was killed in a car crash in 1919. It was claimed to be the best French amphibious aircraft of World War I, but that is probably due to the low scale production of such aircraft in France at that time. [1]

Contents

The Finnish Air Force purchased 12 Georges Levy G.L. 40 HB2s, but they weren't pleased with them. Three aircraft were lost in accidents that claimed lives — and it was given the nickname "the flying coffin" in the 1920s[ citation needed ].

In 1920, the Belgian government started an airline in the then Belgian Congo: Ligne Aérienne du Roi Albert (LARA) operated six Levy-Lepen hydroplanes along the Congo River from Leopoldville (now Kinshasa) upstream to Stanleyville (now Kisangani), a distance of 1725 kilometres. The flights started in June 1921 and were discontinued one or two years later.

Operators

Flag of Finland.svg  Finland
Finnish Air Force - 12 aircraft, withdrawn from use by 1923.
Flag of France.svg  France
French Navy - in service from November 1917, app. 100 built, also by Farman. Used in France, Algeria, Greece, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia.
Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal
Flag of Peru.svg  Peru
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
6 Levy Lepen were used in the Belgian Congo by the Ligne Aerienne du Roi Albert.
Flag of the United States.svg  United States

Specifications (G.L. 40 HB2)

Data from Thulinista Hornetiin – 75 vuotta Suomen ilmavoimien lentokoneita [2]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

See also

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References

Notes

  1. Taylor and Alexander 1969, pp. 104-105.
  2. Heinonen, Timo (1992). Thulinista Hornetiin – 75 vuotta Suomen ilmavoimien lentokoneita (in Finnish). Tikkakoski: Keski-Suomen ilmailumuseo. ISBN   951-95688-2-4.

Bibliography

  • Heinonen, Timo. Thulinista Hornetiin - 75 vuotta Suomen ilmavoimien lentokoneita. Tikkakoski, Finland: Keski-Suomen ilmailumuseo, 1992. ISBN   951-95688-2-4.
  • Taylor, John W. R. and Jean Alexander. Combat Aircraft of the World. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. ISBN   0-71810-564-8.
  • Hirschauer, Louis; Dollfus, Charles, eds. (1921). L'Année Aéronautique: 1920-1921. Paris: Dunod. p. 41.