Dewoitine D.338
The Dewoitine D.338 was a 1930s French 22-passenger airliner built by Dewoitine.
D.338 | |
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Role | Airliner |
Manufacturer | Dewoitine |
First flight | 1936 |
Primary user | Air France |
Number built | D.338 30 D.342 1 D.620 1 |
Developed from | D.333 |
Design and development
The D.338 was a development of the D.333 with retractable undercarriage. First flown in 1936 it had a slightly increased wingspan, and the fuselage was lengthened by 3.18 m (10 ft 5¼ in). For short routes, the aircraft could carry 22 passengers, aircraft used in the Far East were fitted with 12 luxury seats, including six that could be converted into sleeping berths.
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![](../I/Dewoitine_D.342_Air_France_de_Gaston_Chenu.jpg.webp)
![](../I/Dewoitine_D.620_photo_L'Aerophile_February_1936.jpg.webp)
Operational service
In the late 1930s Air France used the D.338 on its transcontinental route to French Indo-China, connecting Paris and Saigon. In 1939 the service was extended to Hong Kong.[1]
The D.338 had a reputation for reliability and was used during World War II in the French overseas possessions. Nine aircraft that survived the war were operated on the Paris-Nice service for several months.
Variants
- D.338
- Main production version, 30 built.
- D.342
- One aircraft built in 1939 with improved lines and room for 24-passengers, powered by three 682 kW (915 hp) Gnome-Rhône 14N radial engines. Delivered to Air France in 1942.
- D.620
- Development of the D.338 with three supercharged 656 kW (880 hp) Gnome-Rhône 14Krsd radial engines and room for 30 passengers, one built but not delivered.
Operators
- Air France
- Lignes Aériennes Militaires (LAM), a Free French line, flew 338s between Beirut and Brazzaville, French Congo, during World War II.
- French Air Force
- Lufthansa flew seven D.338s seized by the Germans during World War II.
- The Argentine Air Force operated two Dewoitine 338s after World War II: F-AQBT Ville de Chartres was given the military registration T 170 and F-AQBR Ville de Pau became T 171. Both planes flew until the late 1940s.
Accidents and incidents
On 2 May 1939, an Air France D.338 (registration F-ARIC) encountered sudden icing conditions during a flight from Dakar, Senegal, to Casablanca, French Morocco, and crashed near Argana, French Morocco, killing all nine people on board.[2]
Specifications (D.338)
Data from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985)
General characteristics
- Crew: four
- Capacity: 12, 15, 18, or 22 depending on route
- Length: 22.13 m (72 ft 7 in)
- Wingspan: 29 m (95 ft 2 in)
- Wing area: 80 m2 (860 sq ft)
- Max takeoff weight: 11,150 kg (24,582 lb)
- Powerplant: 3 × Hispano-Suiza 9V-16 / Hispano-Suiza 9V-17 9-cyl. air-cooled radial piston engines, 480 kW (650 hp) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 301 km/h (187 mph, 163 kn)
- Cruise speed: 260 km/h (160 mph, 140 kn)
- Range: 1,950 km (1,210 mi, 1,050 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 4,900 m (16,100 ft)
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dewoitine D.338. |
- Eden, P. E. Civil Aircraft 1907-Present 2012 p.52, p.55 drawing ISBN 9781908696649
- Aviation Safety Network: Accident Description
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
- Munson, Kenneth (1972). Airliners between the wars 1919-39. New York: The Macmillan Co.