Nord Aviation Nord 1100
There were two versions of the Nord 1100 manufactured, one as a sports aircraft named the "Noralpha" and the military variant named the "Ramier". Production was completed by the beginning of the 1940s by Nord Aviation.
The model was principally the French version of the Messerschmitt Me 208 with a retractable undercarriage and the successor to the airplane Bf 108 Taifun by Willy Messerschmitt. The Taifun was a modern travel aircraft until the end of the 1930s whose blueprint as ahead of its time and is also efficient by today's standards.
The similarity of the models is due to history since the Germans had transferred the production of the Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun to SNCAN in Northern France in the beginning of 1942. After the liberation of France in 1944, Nord continued the completion of the aircraft under the name Nord 1000 Pengouin. By 1945, due to the lack of supply of the piston-V in-line engine Argus As 10 c with 240 PS performance, the engine was replaced by the Renault 6Q 11 with 235 PS.
In the years 1943/44, Nord Avions constructed two prototypes of the Messerschmitt Me 208 for the Germans. The copy, that existed at SNCAN at the time of the liberation, was named Nord 1100 Noralpha.
The aircraft equipped with the Renault 6Q 10 was further developed into the Nord 1101. The version with the Renault 6Q 11-engine was given the name Nord 1102. Both engines differed from each other through their direction of rotation. These aircraft models were known to the French Armed Forces as Ramier I and Ramier II.
By 1946, Nord produced a total of 200 aircrafts of this model. They were utilized by the armed forces and the Armée l'Aeronavale until 1963. Some machines are flown today as collectors' items.
The "Noralpha" was described as fast and precise with good efficient control.
A variation of the "Noralpha" was the N 1104 which was tested with a 240 PS powered Potez 6Dba engine. Two Ramier II aircrafts were transformed under the name N 110 Nord-Astazou with a Turboméca turbine Astazou. The first initial flight test took place in October 1959.
A Nord 1101"Noralpha" is on exhibit in the Air Classic Airplane Museum in Frankfurt and in the Technical Collection in Koblenz.
Technical data
Nord Aviation Nord 1100
| Type | a four-seater cabin monoplane, travel and sports aircraft, also utilized by the military as a contact aircraft. | |
| Manufacturer | SNCAM (Societe Nationale de Construction Aeronatiques du Midi) | |
| Power plant | an in-line engine Renault 6 Q 10 Q11 with 235 PS (173 kW) | |
| Year of construction | 1946 |
Performance
| Top speed | 305 km/h |
| High altitude | 5,900 m |
| Operational range | 1,200 km |
Weight
| Empty weight | 948 kg |
| Take-off weight | 1,645 kg |
Dimensions
| Span | 11.48 m |
| Length | 8.53 m |
| Height | 3.25 m |
| Wing span area | 17.37 qm |
| Crew | 1-2 persons | |
| Production quantity | 200 |
