Fouga CM.8

The Fouga CM.8 or Castel-Mauboussin CM.8 was a French sailplane of the 1950s, most notable in retrospect due to its place in the development of the Fouga Magister jet trainer.

CM.8
Role High-performance sailplane
Manufacturer Fouga
Designer Robert Castello
First flight June 1949
Variants Fouga CM.88

Design and development

The CM.8 was a single-seat aircraft of conventional sailplane design and designed for aerobatics. Two prototypes were built: the CM.8/13, with a 13-metre wingspan and a conventional empennage, and the CM.8/15 with a 15-metre wingspan and a V-tail.

The pleasing performance of these aircraft led to experiments with mounting a small turbojet on the dorsal fuselage, exhausting between the tail fins. The first of these flew on 14 July 1949, powered by a Turbomeca Piméné. Designated the CM.8R this combined the 13-metre wing of the CM.8/13 with the tail of the CM.8/15. Two examples were built, and as experiments progressed in the 1950s, they were fitted with increasingly powerful engines, and increasingly shorter wingspans. A twin-fuselage example was also built as the CM.88 as an engine testbed.

Variants
Fouga CM.8
Fouga CM.8 Acro
Fouga CM.8/13
Fouga CM.8/15
Fouga CM.8/13 Sylphe démotorisé
Fouga CM.8 R13 Cyclone
Fouga CM.8 R13 Sylphe II
Fouga CM.8 R13 Sylphe III
Fouga CM.8 R9.8 Cyclope I
Fouga CM.8 R9.8 Cyclope II
Fouga CM.8 R8.3 Midget

Specifications (CM.8/13)

General characteristics

  • Crew: One pilot
  • Length: 6.55 m (21 ft 6 in)
  • Wingspan: 13.00 m (42 ft 8 in)
  • Height: 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)
  • Wing area: 13 m2 (140 sq ft)
  • Aspect ratio: 13
  • Empty weight: 247 kg (545 lb)
  • Gross weight: 330 kg (728 lb)

Performance

  • Rate of sink: 1.1 m/s (216 ft/min)

See also

Related lists

References
    • Bridgman, Leonard (1951). Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1951–52. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, Ltd.
    • Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 239.
    • Planeurs et Avions


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