Centrair (France)
Encyclopedia
Centrair was a French
glider
manufacturer that was founded by Marc Ranjon and his wife Genevieve in 1970. It started as the agent for glider manufacturer Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co
, but it manufactured Schleicher's ASW 20 under licence from 1977. Later, Centrair also manufactured the Scheibe SF 34 as the Centrair SNC-34 Alliance.
Ranjon decided to build a new Standard Class
sailplane with a wing thinner than the ASW 19 using the ASW 20 fuselage. The result was the C101 Pegase
which first flew in 1981. Schleichers were not happy that their agent was in competition with them using their fuselage design, but the dispute was settled. Three-hundred Pegases were made before production stopped in 1988. They were never competitive with the best in the Standard Class, but are popular "club" aircraft, being easy to handle.
In 1980, Centrair conducted design work on a six-seat, powered, business aircraft with a pusher propeller behind the tail. This work was conducted in collaboration with Dassault and a number of technical schools.
The French gliding authorities were anxious that there should be a French two-seater to replace the 250 aging training two-seaters in France
. The C201 Marianne was the result and it first flew in 1985. Eighty Mariannes were built before the Centrair Company dissolved.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
glider
Glider (sailplane)
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
manufacturer that was founded by Marc Ranjon and his wife Genevieve in 1970. It started as the agent for glider manufacturer Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co
Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co
Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co is a major manufacturer of sailplanes located in Poppenhausen, near Fulda in Germany. It is also the oldest sailplane manufacturer in the world....
, but it manufactured Schleicher's ASW 20 under licence from 1977. Later, Centrair also manufactured the Scheibe SF 34 as the Centrair SNC-34 Alliance.
Ranjon decided to build a new Standard Class
Glider Competition Classes
Competition classes in gliding, as in other sports, mainly exist to ensure fairness in competition. However the classes have not been targeted at fostering technological development as in other sports...
sailplane with a wing thinner than the ASW 19 using the ASW 20 fuselage. The result was the C101 Pegase
Centrair C101 Pegase
|-References:* Simons M, Segelflugzeuge 1965-2000, Eqip, 2004*...
which first flew in 1981. Schleichers were not happy that their agent was in competition with them using their fuselage design, but the dispute was settled. Three-hundred Pegases were made before production stopped in 1988. They were never competitive with the best in the Standard Class, but are popular "club" aircraft, being easy to handle.
In 1980, Centrair conducted design work on a six-seat, powered, business aircraft with a pusher propeller behind the tail. This work was conducted in collaboration with Dassault and a number of technical schools.
The French gliding authorities were anxious that there should be a French two-seater to replace the 250 aging training two-seaters in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The C201 Marianne was the result and it first flew in 1985. Eighty Mariannes were built before the Centrair Company dissolved.