U.S. Air Service




AIRCRAFT


OF THE


A E F



Tellier T-3



Development and Operation

The Tellier T.3 was a biplane flying boat with unequal span wings. The upper wing had no dihedral while the lower wing had a pronounced dihedral for the wings to clear the water. Ailerons were on the top wing only.

The wings had two bays of struts mounted at oblique angles. The wings had wooden spars and metal ribs and were supported by intertwined metal cables. The struts were made of extruded metal with metal attachment points. The 200 hp Hispano-Suiza 8Ac engine was used. The pilot sat directly ahead of the engine while the gunner sat in the extreme nose. A third seat for a passenger was next to the pilot. Flight testing of the aircraft was begun on 13 September 1916. Initial production orders were placed on 21 March 1917.

The U.S. Navy purchased 33 T.3's for use at NAS Le Croisic as anti-submarine patrol aircraft {S/N's 10, 11, 21, 24, 25, 40, 56, 69, 70-74, 86-89, 93, 105, 106, 111, 114, 139, 140, 143-146, and 151-153}. The first mission using a T.3 was flown on 18 November 1917 At the time the aircraft had long since been replaced in French Aviation Maritime service. It is therefore assumed that the aircraft brought by the Navy were already service veterans. As time passed aircraft experienced more and more breakdowns

 

Aircraft and Flight Characteristics

Teller T.3 Three-seat Patrol Flying Boat
with a 200 hp Hispano-Suez 8Ac engine

Span

15.6 m

Length

11.83 m

Height

3.6 m

Maximum Speed

130-135 km/hr.

Weight

 

Empty

1150kg

Loaded

1796 kg

Payload

560 kg

Climb

 

To 500 m

2 minutes 45 seconds

To 1000 m

6 minutes 30 seconds

To 1500 m

11 minutes 30 seconds

To 2000 m

15 minutes 30 seconds

To 2500 m

24 minutes

Endurance

4 hrs. 30 minutes

Armament

One machine gun and two 35 kg bombs


References:


  1. Davilla, J. and Art Soltan, French Aircraft of the First World War
  2. Photo courtesy of the author


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Additions and comments on these pages may be directed to:
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