LIORE ET OLIVIER LeO C.30A (early prod.) - 1937

Description

The Lioré et Olivier LeO C-30 was an autogyro made in France during the interwar period by the company Lioré et Olivier. Given the success encountered in the United Kingdom by the Cierva C.30 autogyro designed by the Spanish engineer and pilot Juan de la Cierva and built by his company Cierva Autogiro Company, the aeronautical manufacturer Lioré and Olivier bought the license to manufacture it in France. The engine of British origin was replaced by an engine of national manufacture, a Salmson 9NE of 9 cylinders developing 175 hp (130 kW). Improved versions were designated C-30S, C-301 and C-302. Total production reached 59 copies, all versions combined. Several copies of LeO C-30 were purchased by the French Air Force or Naval Aviation. On December 31, 1937, about twenty LeO C-30s were received by the Air Force and made available to cooperation units placed "for employment" under the command of the Army. In the absence of wings, the three-colored roundels painted on the sides of the fuselage were reproduced on the horizontal stabilizers of the tail. This was not the case in the other air forces using the C.30, where the national markings appeared only on the flanks of the fuselage (roundels) and possibly the fin (flag). All LeO C-30s were destroyed or captured during the German invasion of May-June 1940. (Scale : 1/35e)