Lorraine Hanriot LH.41
| LH.41 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Racer / aerobatic / fighter-trainer |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Lorraine Hanriot |
| First flight | May 1930 |
| Number built | 3 |
The Lorraine Hanriot LH.41 was a single-seat racing aircraft designed and built in France specifically to compete in the Coupe Michelin air races, held in France.
The LH.41 was a small low-wing, cantilever monoplane built largely of wood with fabric and plywood skinning. The LH.41 was supported on a wide-track strut mounted undercarriage, incorporating oleo-pneumatic shock-absorbers, with a tail-skid.
For initial flight testing the LH.41 was fitted with a 180 kW (240 hp) Lorraine 7Mb Mizar 7-cylinder radial engine with a distinctive oil cooler on the port side of the fuselage forward of the cockpit. After initial testing the LH.41, re-engined with the intended 170 kW (230 hp) Lorraine 9Nb driving a Levasseur metal fixed pitch propeller fitted with a dorsal oil cooler in place of the side mounted cooler. The 9Nb was fitted with a short chord Townend ring by the time the race began.
Lorraine-Hanriot recovered the engine from the wreckage of the LH.41, tested it to ensure it was serviceable and fitted it to a new airframe, dubbed LH.41.02 (aka LH.41/2, or LH.41-2). The airframe was refined to give less drag, removing exterior bracing cables on the tail-unit and fully enclosing the engine in a NACA cowling.
Another airframe was built, essentially identical to the LH.41.02, but with further improvements, including faired-in undercarriage legs.
The LH.41 first flew in May 1930 and was duly entered in the 1929/1930 Coupe Michelin, flown by Marcel Haegelen. The LH.41 was beating the competition until an accident upon landing at Reims destroyed the aircraft and seriously injured Haegelen, after landing in tall grass.
After the unfortunate demise of the LH.41.01 at Reims, Lorraine-Hanriot enterred the LH.41.02 in the 1930/1931 Coupe Michelin air race, which Haegelen won at an average speed of 255.6 km/h (138.0 kn; 158.8 mph), flying 2,632 km (1,421 nmi; 1,635 mi) in 11 hours 37 minutes 21 seconds, including refuelling, take-offs and landings.
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