France's Super Fouga Magister: The world's first jet trainer. By Steve Whitson

LIKE SNOOPY, we all daydream about flying a fighter plane. Of course, in this day and age, most of us yearn to grasp the controls of a jet fighter. We see these planes at shows or passing overhead, and our mind's eye brings up images of strafing runs, vertical climbs, tight turns, a spectacular maneuver…and there he is, the Red Baron in our sights.

For the overwhelming majority of us, it's going to be a dream. But there are many of our fellow aviators who are willing to put their resources into one of these planes. The availability isn't a problem; Russia and its one-time allies will sell for the right price. After all, the planes over there are just deteriorating. So what could be better?

But our Cold War adversaries aren't our only source. Our allies and our government are also making their outdated aircraft available. So a buyer must decide if he wants an aircraft built by the Eastern bloc. Or perhaps he'd prefer something from a bit farther west something we didn't have to, or want to, shoot at. Maybe something French?

THE SUPER FOUGA MAGISTER

Wandering the flight line at Sun 'n Fun, admiring all the magnificent machines, a V-tailed jet fighter stood out from the rest and immediately drew our attention. Low to the ground, with jet inlets on each side, the plane looked fast and nimble. It wasn't long before we were in touch with the owner/restorer/pilot, Mark Schneider, who agreed to fly for the pictures you see here.

Schneider and his associates bought the plane in 1996 and restored it over the next few years. Their efforts paid off because they won the award for best jet at Sun 'n Fun in 2000 and again in 2001. But before we get to the flying part, let's look at the aircraft's history.

This plane is a 1967 Super Fouga Magister (the French word for schoolhouse) CM-170. It was built by Avions Henry Potez, with twin Turbomeca Marbore VI engines. It was one of the later versions in a long line of light, two-seat jet trainers.

A monoplane, the cantilever wings are mounted midway up the fuselage. A NACA 64-series wing section, the thickness/chord ratio varies from 19 percent at the root to 12 percent at the tip. The aspect ratio is 7.42. These numbers indicate a rather long wing with benign stall characteristics. The chord is 6 feet 6 inches at the root and tapers to 2 feet 10 inches at the tip, while the sweepback is 13 degrees. Befitting a fighter plane, there's no dihedral. Built with a single spar and stressed skin structure, the all-metal slotted flaps are hydraulically driven, and there are air brakes in both the upper and lower surfaces.

The all-metal fuselage has a semimonocoque stressed skin structure, at the aft end of which is a V-tail. The metal elevators are balanced, and the angle inside the V is 110 degrees. The pressurized and air-conditioned cockpit has two tandem seats, with individual canopies and full dual controls.

Its Marbore VI turbojet engine produces 1058 pounds of thrust and is the most widely used of the Turbomeca's engines. More than 1000 of these engines have been manufactured, including many under license in the United States by Continental and Teledyne as the J-69.

The landing gear, a hydraulically retractable tricycle arrangement with a shimmy damper on the nosewheel, is rather short and reminiscent of the sailplanes the parent company, Etablissemente Fouga et Cie, built prior to its foray into fighter trainers. Actually, the entire design echoes a sailplane.

It probably goes without saying that the plane in these photos had no armament, but the originals came equipped with two 7.5- or 7.62-mm machine guns in the nose. There were also racks for two 55-pound air-to-ground rockets, one Type 181 Matra launcher with a 7- x 68-mm rockets, one 110-pound bomb or one Nord AS.11 guided missile under each wing.

A Little History

In 1996 Etablissemente Fouga et Cie started an aviation department and began to manufacture sailplanes at Aire-surAdour in the Landes region of southwest France. Immediately after World War II, it was apparent that jet aircraft would make up the next generation of fighter planes, and therefore jet-powered trainers would be needed.

In 1949 Fouga was asked by the Turbomeca company located nearby, to build a plane for its 242-pound-thrust turbojet, the Pimene. Fouga used one of its C.M.8 wood sailplanes for this experiment. The engine was mounted above the fuselage, a fuel system was added and there were a host of other modifications. Called the C.M.8R Sylphe, its first flight was on July 14, 1949. Following the successful flight, a series of these planes were built, including one with two V-tail fuselages, each with its own engine, joined by a common wing.

But Fouga had seen the need for new trainers. In 1948 it had submitted a design proposal for a light jet trainer to the Ministere de l'Air. Initially the design called for twin 331-pound thrust Turbomeca Palas turbojet engines. The performance, at gross weight, was calculated to be anemic, so Robert Castello, the chief engineer, and Aircraft Director Pierre Mouboussin (the C and M in the Fouga aircraft designations) beefed everything up using twin 882-pound-thrust engines. The plane was called the C.M. 170R. The R stands for reaction, or jet in English.

In December 1950 Fouga was awarded a contract for three prototypes, and on July 23, 1952, the first one flew. This was the first plane designed from the outset as a jet trainer. Other jet trainers at that time were mostly conversions of existing fighters, like the Gloster Meteor T.Mk 7.

Fouga, one should remember, was a wood-and-cloth sailplane manufacturer, so working with metal was a new endeavor. The risk and financial outlay for all the metal-working tools, trained workforce and machinery meant the plane was either a success, or the company would go bankrupt.

As history has showed, the plane was an extraordinary accomplishment. The design, from the prototype to the hundreds that followed, changed little, and Cessna's trainer used the same engines in basically the same design, with the exception of side-by-side seating. The Magisters were also built under license by many countries, including Germany and Israel. Israel used it as a weapon in the Six-Day War, and it proved its worth in combat, though a number were lost.

At least 916 Magister-series aircraft were built. Of these, Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1968/1969 accounts for these as follows: France 437, Brazil 7, Germany 250, Israel 52, Austria 18, Finland 82, Belgium and Holland 48, Cambodia 4, Congo 6, Morocco 8, and Lebanon 4. The French planes included 32 used by the Navy, and they were equipped with arresting hooks. These were designated the CM 175 Zephyr.

The Super Magister, which first flew on August 28, 1962, is similar, with the exception of the engines. It used twin Marbore VI engines rated at 1058 pounds of thrust.

To erase some of the confusion about the names (Potez, Fouga, etc.) let's digress. In 1958 Etablissemente Fouga et Cie, actually Air Fouga by then, was taken over by the Potez group of companies. Shortly thereafter, it was absorbed by Sud-Aviation, which merged with Nord-Aviation to form Aerospatiale.

Flying NX520F

It's time to take a closer look at this specific plane. As you can see from the photos, 20F is an eye-catcher. The blue fuselage, with red, white and blue wings and stabilizers, makes a statement that this is a plane closely allied with France. Smooth and sleek, the rounded nose no longer contains the armament, but there's still a sinister and deadly feel to the plane. Emblems located on the fuselage enhance this warbird feeling. The emblem on the right side of the plane is of a specific fighter squadron, though Schneider didn't know which one, while the one on the left designated the Patrouille de France, the French version of the U.S. Air Force's Thunderbirds.

As we approached, there was, of course, a small crowd, craning their necks for better views. The preflight gave us the opportunity to examine the plane closely and ask questions. Starting at the front, the nose cover was removed, exposing the newly installed and brightly painted smoke tank. Mounted on the aft wall of this compartment are the hydraulic accumulators for the speed brakes, gear and flaps. Because hydraulics are so important to the function of the plane, any leaks are immediately repaired.

Because we are going to need a tow prior to engine start, Schneider unpinned the nosegear. When unpinned, the nosewheel is free-castoring, and the plane can be maneuvered by tow vehicles in tight places. When pinned, the amount of movement is quite restricted, and damage could occur if the tow vehicle were to pull the plane in too sharp a turn. The pin is replaced prior to engine start. Taxiing is accomplished by differential braking, so it's necessary to restrict the amount the nosegear turns to prevent it from locking to one side.

While standing in front of the wings, the jet intakes are checked for leaks and any debris, especially at an airshow where spectators can get to the planes. Under the wing, at each maingear, Schneider checked the door switches for movement and a clicking sound, while examining all the lines and couplings for wear or seepage.

Fuel is carried in the wing's tiptanks (about 32 gallons per side), and two fuselage tanks, located behind the cockpit, hold about 193 gallons. Continuing along the rear of the wing, the ailerons, which have electric trim and antiservo tabs, are checked for freedom of movement. There's a raised fence on the trailing edge of the ailerons that was probably installed to prevent flutter. The flaps are divided into two pieces on each wing but are mechanically connected and move as a unit.

Back at the fuselage, we removed the engine accessory panel covers, examining everything for security and leaks. The two engines are duplicates, with the exception that the generator is driven by the left engine by an additional driveshaft coming out of the accessory case. Under the fuselage at this point is an oil cooler door that's adjusted on the ground. Schneider keeps it open about 1 inch while the plane is in Florida. Also in that vicinity are pilot tubes, which are used for the engine altitude compensator and to drive an accelerometer.

At the tail, the elevators are checked for freedom of motion, as is the small tailwheel, which is neatly fitted in the keel. With the aircraft sitting as low as it is, this wheel is protection against overzealous rotations and flares.

Not that anyone would bail out, though I certainly would under the right circumstances, I was given a parachute and helmet. Entry to the rear cockpit was easily accomplished using the kick door in the fuselage for the left foot and then swinging the right leg over the side and in. As low as it is, there was no need for a ladder, which makes landings at airfields away from home much less bothersome.

It's always an experience to settle down in an unfamiliar cockpit, and it takes a few minutes to find where to plug in the headset and how to get the five-point harness connected. The seat doesn't move, but the rudder pedals do, so everyone should be able to fit fine. There was no ejection seat system installed, so that eliminated the concern about shooting myself skyward. The controls are straightforward, with a stick between your legs and the throttles at your left hand. The radios and audio panel are on the right side of the cockpit.

While the tow truck hooked up, I had the opportunity to examine the gauges. The instrument panel had been redone to modern standards and contains all the standard instruments, though the air speed indicator does go to 600 knots. That in itself is enough to make one pause. Other instruments and switches were in French, and because it's a twin, there were two of all the engine instruments you'd expect-but less. There's no percent of power, no N1, N2, etc.-just an actual rpm gauge that went to 25,000 rpm. Schneider indicated he was ready to start the engine.

The left engine is started first using one battery, because it's the one that drives the generator. With the left engine running, it's brought up to 14,000 rpm to provide sufficient generator power to take the strain off the battery while starting the right engine. This is the first indication of the noise level, which is dramatic inside with the canopy closed and apparently incredible outside.

Now that we had both engines running, we started to taxi for departure, as did the photo plane, which didn't need a radio call to know we were on move. As we rolled past the spectators and line officials, we were greeted with a uniform gesture involving two fingers (one in each ear). Senior Editor LeRoy Cook calls it the Marbore salute.

Takeoff was standard. There was a lot of runway, and the jet engines provided smooth operation. The climb to a few thousand agl was accomplished in a moment, and then we throttled back. Staying low and joining up on the photo plane, the plane seemed to be falling out of the sky at 150 KIAS. In close formation, the maneuverability and effectiveness of the control surfaces, including the speed brakes, were used to good effect. Being a fighter, the plane has a large flight envelope. Unfortunately, we were able to explore only a small corner of it. The plane didn't seem like a problem to fly, and the visibility, even from the rear seat, was quite good. As befits a plane of that speed, it was flown with power to the ground at about 120 KIAS.

There used to be a periscope in the rear seat for the instructor pilots, but it was missing from this specific plane. As a trainer, the plane met its role, as its popularity around the world will attest. It shouldn't be a problem for any fairly competent pilot to master, and with the fuselage-mounted engines negating the concerns for Vmc, it's a twin for all.

Is it for you? Well, I can't say, but if you're thinking of a MiG or a Czechoslovakian L-29, (the Aero L-29 Delfin is made by the Areo Vodochody National Corporation) or anything in this venue, give the Fouga a try. Built using Western technology, the engines were also built in this country, and parts for them and the airframe are readily available. They're becoming more and more popular and can be had in the low $100,000s.