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In 1951, France made the decision to develop its first commercial jet airliner. It was to be designed to transport 65 passengers over 2000 km at 700 km/h. The submitted project proposals ultimately resulted in the S.E. 210 Caravelle; its prototype first took off on 27 May 1955. Air France ordered its first 12 aircraft in February 1956, with further contracts following from Scandinavia and South America. A successful promotional tour was also carried out at the same time in North and South America, during which the Caravelle not only flew 50,000 km, but also became the first French jetliner to cross the Atlantic.
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The Caravelle quickly proliferated on an international scale, even in the USA. By the time production of the aircraft came to a halt in 1973, 282 jets in all versions had come off the line in Toulouse – but the last of the Caravelles did not stop service in Europe until 1996. The exceptionally elegant airliner represented France’s entry into modern commercial aircraft production, and its success helped pave the way for the European Airbus family.
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Technical Data Caravelle 10B3
| Wingspan: | 34.29m |
| Length: | 33.01 m |
| Height: | 8.72 m |
| Max. speed: | 824 km/h |
| Powerplant: | Two PW JT8D-1 engines, each producing 64.5 kN (6577 kg) thrust |
