SPAD S. A-2 and Dufaux C.2 – the French fighters

The prototype of the two-seater fighter, built by Armando Dufaux in the spring of 1916, stood out from all the aircraft of that time in that, the rotary engine, mounted on it, was placed in a slot in the middle of the fuselage. Both parts of the aircraft were connected by a tubular side member, and the axes of rotation of the engine shaft and propeller were placed at different heights. The plane was built alone and tested. The test results showed, that the covered engine tended to overheat and the fuselage joint was not strong enough, although the flight characteristics were good. But not so much, that it can be produced in series.

The other hero of this publication is also a freak: the fighter is an SPAD S. A-2 reconnaissance aircraft. It was a compromise design, until the French had a synchronizer. The reconnaissance or shooter's position in this aircraft is built into the gondola, carried in front of the engine and propeller, which gave it almost unlimited possibilities to shoot in all directions. But such an arrangement severely limited the field of view of the pilot, sitting behind the front gondola, propeller, engine. 99 aircraft of this type were produced, almost half of which were sold to Russia.

Strange, unusual, but peculiarly beautiful and interesting, well-designed, but complex models for average and experienced modelers.