Origins and Development
Following the fiasco of the twin-engine Breguet with an all-steel spar, the Vélizy company abandoned metal as the primary material and, returning to work, developed the twin-engine “good in everything” (multi-purpose) Bre 460 M5 aircraft. A civilian variant, designated 46 T, was developed in parallel. Alongside the Bre 413 n°4, the future passenger aircraft appeared at the 1934 Paris Air Show as a scale model. Equipped with 700 hp Gnome et Rhône 14 K radial engines, the actually built machine was expected to achieve a maximum speed of over 350 km/h.
At another stand, one could admire the fastest commercially available European aircraft – the single-engine Heinkel He 70. With the launch of the 46 T into operation in 1935, France could compete with the best transport aircraft of the time.
However, the construction of the Bre 460 M5 absorbed the efforts of the Breguet design bureau, and the realization of the 460 T12 was somewhat delayed. Furthermore, changes were made to the original plans. The 46 T aircraft came into being under the designation Bre 470 T12 n°1.
The fuselage featured a very strong oval-section metal structure, accommodating a crew of three (pilot, co-pilot, and radio operator) and 12 passengers, who received good illumination through eleven circular portholes located on each side of the aircraft. The pilot’s cockpit, situated in the front part of the fuselage, offered excellent visibility. The instrument panel included an autopilot and a radio compass. The aircraft’s tail unit was identical to that of the Bre 460 M5 “Vultur.”
The three-part wing included two high-strength steel spars and a working duralumin skin. The trailing edge was occupied by ailerons and slotted flaps. The main landing gear struts with Elektron wheels (a magnesium-based alloy) retracted into the engine nacelles.
Competitions and Feats
Before delving into the main topic, we should say a few words about the twin-engine 18-seat Breguet-Wibault 670 passenger aircraft. Its first flight took place on March 1, 1935 – exactly one year before the Bre 470. The sole prototype received the civil registration number F-ANNT but was abandoned in February 1936. Its Gnome et Rhône 14 Kirs/Kjrs engines were removed and installed on the “Fulgur” (see further), which is a small digression. It should be noted that, ironically, the F-ANNT was modified in May 1937! One can say that the administration was “hastening slowly.”
Piloted by Michel Détroyat, the Breguet 470 T n°1 made its first flight in Villacoublay on March 5, 1936. After satisfactory factory tests, the aircraft was sent to CEMA, where it received its airworthiness certificate and civil registration number F-APDY.
On October 25, 1936, a little over seven months after its first flight, the Bre 470 T departed Bourget at 6:04 AM, heading for Saigon. Only the Goéland C.444 F-AOMS and C.448 F-AOMX met the requirements for this air competition organized by the Ministry of Aviation. Despite its prestigious crew (Michel Détroyat, Air-France chief pilot Gaston Durmon acting as navigator and co-pilot, and radio operator Louis Agnus), the aircraft could not reach its destination, nor could the two Goéland aircraft.
Due to a failure in the oil circulation, the Breguet landed in Bouchir, India, at 4:25 PM on August 26 (likely October, according to the text) to replace a piston (by sheer luck, the piston was the only spare part on board!). The repair required too much time, and it was decided not to continue the race. The results obtained in the 1934 London-Cape Town race were much higher. However, it should be noted that the Bre 470 completed an 11,000-kilometer round trip route at an average speed of 355 km/h. Truly astonishing for aircraft whose speed did not exceed 385 km/h! In this regard, Michel Détroyat’s dismissal was all the more regrettable.
After the inscription “Paris 1937 – Exposition Internationale” was painted on the nose of the aircraft, our unused “Fulgur” was stored in the Breguet hangar in Vélizy, while its 14 Kdrs engines were kept a little longer.
France, which had not participated in the London-Melbourne race, announced a New York-Paris air race, scheduled for 1937. The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) included this competition in its schedule, resulting in 22 applications. However, the United States, fearing accidents during the race, denied competing aircraft permission to fly. The reason for this refusal was simple: given the impending opening of commercial transatlantic airlines, American officials feared that the possible disappearance of race participants in the Atlantic would negatively impact the plans of future passengers on these routes!
Therefore, it was necessary to find an alternative for the registered crews, and necessarily in the opposite direction. The competent French authorities chose a route without much originality: Istres-Damascus-Paris. The rather “mild” characteristics did not require any airworthiness certificates for the aircraft, and no weight control was expected, which could change until the moment of departure (also for the crew). It should be noted that the race participants were not required to land in Damascus: the aircraft absolutely had to reach this city non-stop, and there had to be several machines.
The story of how the Bre 470 became one of the participants is curious and deserves to be known. Pilots Codos and Arnoux, registered for the race, did not have their own aircraft a few weeks before departure. Paul Codos, knowing about the availability of the “Fulgur,” made an approach in the final days. On Friday afternoon, July 29, 1937, he appeared in Vélizy. Due to “paid holidays,” the factory should have already closed, but Paul Codos asked to see the aircraft. Entering the hangar and seeing the machine, he exclaimed: “This is what I need!”
The workshop manager told him that the aircraft was not ready: it lacked engines, additional fuel tanks needed to be installed, and… the factory was closing in the evening. Codos became furious and eventually managed to convince them. The production manager, the outstanding “Papa” Delforge, jumped into his car to catch up with his colleagues who had already left, as the siren indicating the end of work was already sounding. He managed to hold up the “White” trucks (World War I surplus) that were taking workers home.
The workers protested, but the love for aviation prevailing at Breguet won, and the work in the workshop, proceeding at a remarkable pace day and night, was completed after 15 days. The “Fulgur” received engines from the Breguet-Wibault 670 T, and additional tanks from the Bre 413 were installed in the cabin, which became somewhat “cramped.”
When the aircraft was ready, Maurice Claisse performed the initial tests. Maurice had replaced Raoul Ribière as chief pilot, who had died as a result of an inhaler failure during high-altitude tests of the MS 405 n°02. The new “first flights” proved satisfactory. Paul Codos flew the Bre 470 to Bourget for compass compensation. On the eve of weighing at CEMA, Claisse arrived in Villacoublay with a suitcase, as he was going on vacation immediately after handing over the aircraft to Codos, who was responsible for it at the time.
In turn, Codos wanted to go to Istres and participate in the race, which was scheduled to start on August 20. He asked Claisse to accompany him to the French Riviera, to which the latter, after some resistance, agreed. Just as the Bre 470 was about to lift off the ground, there was a loud bang – a tire burst! Besides Claisse, Codos and Arnoux (pilots), Agnus (radio operator), and five other people were on board, accommodated in the small space free of the installed additional fuel tanks. Both Codos and Claisse were ready to continue the flight to Istres. Codos, for whom this was his second flight on the Bre 470, asked Claisse to take control, saying: “You know this machine better than I do.”
Claisse approached the runway with a slight right turn and set the undamaged nose wheel down with impressive ease and precision. It appears that the cause of the puncture was the imperfection in the manufacturing technology of low-pressure tires, with which the Bre 470 passenger aircraft was one of the first to be equipped. However, on Istres’ “terribly laid” runway, another puncture occurred, and therefore a thorough inspection of the runway was carried out for the final training before the start of the race.
But let’s return to the race. The total prize money, offered by the Ministry of Aviation, reached 3 million francs and was to be divided among the first three finalists, who were, as observers predicted, three Italian Savoia-Marchetti S.79 C (race numbers I-11, I-13, and I-3). Fourth was the de Havilland DH 88 Comet (race number G-16 and civil registration number G-ACSS) with a crew of Arthur E. Clouston and Georges Nelson, which achieved an excellent average speed of 314.483 km/h over the full circuit. The Bre 470 Fulgur F-APDY (race number F-1) finished fifth with an average speed of 290.100 km/h.
It should be noted that an unfortunate incident occurred over Damascus. The mechanic wanted to refuel in record time, but the fuselage tanks were overfilled (large diaphragm openings), and the crew had to wait more than half an hour to rid the engines of a potential fire. Needless to say, Codos was furious! Without this unforeseen delay, the F-APDY might have been at least second or third, if not first.
It should also be mentioned that, due to the usual unpreparedness of French teams and their equipment, and the lack of a systematic approach, two aerodynamically clean machines, the Amiot 370 (F-AREU) and the Air-Couzinet AC 1 (F-AQCD), were unable to participate in the race. However, these aircraft, like the “Fulgur,” were capable of competing with the Italians, and most likely, with success! Without falling into chauvinistic exaggeration, one can console oneself with the fact that the three-engine Italian aircraft (Alfa-Romeo engines) and the twin-engine British aircraft (Gipsy Six) were equipped with Ratier variable-pitch metal propellers. Therefore (as a personal reflection), perhaps the French company Ratier should also be among the winners?
Service and Final Fate
Despite its great potential, the “Fulgur” did not attract the interest of Air France and remained in reserve. The transition to new engines (the aircraft was equipped with Gnome & Rhône 14 N-0/N-1 engines) led to the replacement of Ratier propellers with G&R metal propellers. The late 1930s was the best time to get rid of aircraft that were no longer in use and were cluttering hangars.
As has been repeatedly stated, the Spanish Republican government was urgently purchasing various flying equipment, without expressing any complaints or dissatisfaction. The Breguet company transferred the Bre 470 T n°1 aircraft to SFTA. In turn, SFTA resold the aircraft – this is the least we can say – to the Spanish company LAPE (Lineas Aéreas Postales Espanolas), where the Bre 470 T was registered as EC-AHC.
Most likely, the “Fulgur” was widely used by the Republicans as a high-speed aircraft on the Barcelona-Toulouse route. According to Patrick Laureau, the Bre 470 T received the standard dark green camouflage and red stripes of Republican aviation. The red-yellow-purple flag painted on the fin had been approved even before the civil war. With the new G&R N 14 engines, the machine developed approximately 400 km/h and had no fear of the Nationalist Bf 109s, with which, however, it never actually met. When Franco’s troops invaded Catalonia, which became the death knell for the “Rojos” (Republicans), the EC-AHC evacuated the last contingent of high-ranking refugees to Toulouse, among whom, possibly, was President Negrín. The aircraft remained in Toulouse, where it probably deteriorated and was subsequently scrapped.
Most likely, the project represents a little-known development of the Bre 470 T. This four-engine transport aircraft was designated Breguet 471 T. It was expected to be equipped with four 300 hp Renault 6 Q-20/21 engines; the wingspan was to be 21 m, and the length 14.25 m. The first sketches appeared on drawing boards in late 1936, and blueprints in early 1937. The total weight of the 471 was to be 8600 kg, and its speed 320 km/h. Presenting no new technical solutions, this project was relegated to the scrap heap, where it found a host of “colleagues” who, nevertheless, are part of the history of our aviation.
According to some testimonies (CEMA), the Bre 470 T, considered the fastest passenger aircraft of 1936, could have received some flight performance improvements that would have led it to an ideal commercial application; however, Breguet company did not consider this issue. It is most likely that this was the reason Air France rejected proposals for building a series of machines of this type. Nevertheless, the “Fulgur” should occupy a prominent place in the history of French aviation, in accordance with its career described above.
Technical Specifications
| Modification | Br.470 |
| Wingspan, m | 20.50 |
| Length, m | 15.32 |
| Height, m | 5.93 |
| Wing area, m2 | 56.25 |
| Empty weight | 4840 |
| Normal takeoff weight | 8200 |
| Maximum takeoff weight | 8600 |
| Engine type | 2 Piston engines Gnome-Rhone 14Kirs |
| Power, hp | 2 x 804 |
| Maximum speed, km/h | 385 |
| Cruising speed, km/h | 340 |
| Practical range, km | 2000 |
| Practical ceiling, m | 6000 |
| Crew, crew members | 2-3 |
| Payload | up to 12 passengers |
Image and diagram gallery of the Breguet 470 Fulgur
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