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Aerospatiale-Socata
Horizon/Diplomate
A subsidiary of
Aérospatiale, which itself was formed by a merger of Sud-Aviation,
Nord-Aviation, and SEREB in 1970, Socata is responsible
for development and production of all the organization's
light aircraft. Before the formation of Aérospatiale,
Sud-Aviation had acquired from France's well-known
designer Yves Gardan a license to build and market a
four-seat all-metal light aircraft of his design. Known
as the GY-80 Horizon, the prototype had flown for the
first on 21 July 1960, and Socata was to build more than
250 before production ended in 1969.
A cantilever low-wing monoplane, the Horizon had a wing
the whole of whose trailing-edge was made up of two Frise type ailerons and four electrically actuated
Fowler type flaps. The landing gear was of
semi-retractable tricycle type, rather more than half of
each wheel remaining 4exposed when retracted. Standard
powerplant was a 160-hp (119-kW) Avco
Lycoming 0-320-D engine driving a fixed-pitch two-blade
propeller, but a more powerful engine and three-blade
constant-speed propeller were optional.
The resulting
basic day-flying aircraft was more competitively priced,
but could have more sophistication in the form of
higher-performance powerplant, night-flying equipment,
and nav/com radio if the customer so required.
Type:
four-seat light cabin monoplane
Powerplant: (optional) one
180-hp (134-kW) Avco Lycoming 0-360-A flat four piston
engine
Performance: (with optional 0-360-A and
c/s propeller maximum level speed 155mph (250km/h) at
sea level; cruising speed 152 mph (245 km/h) at 8,200 ft
(2500 m); service ceiling 15,420 ft (4700 m); range with
maximum optional fuel 777 miles (1250)
Weights: empty 1,378 lb (625 kg); maximum take-off
2,535 lb (1150 kg)
Dimensions: span 31 ft 9 3/4
in (9.70 m); length 21 ft 9 1/2 in (6.64 m); height 8 ft
6 1/4 in (2.60 m); wing area 139.9 sq ft (13.0 sq
meters)
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