Chardonneret

The SNCAC Chardonneret (officially designated NC.832) was a post‑war French primary trainer built by the nationalised Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Centre. Designed in 1946 to replace aging wooden biplanes such as the Caudron G.3, the Chardonneret first took to the sky on 30 June 1948. It featured a conventional low‑wing monoplane layout, an all‑metal semi‑monocoque fuselage with fabric‑covered control surfaces, and a 105 hp (78 kW) Régnier 4D‑2 four‑cylinder inverted‑air‑cooled engine driving a two‑bladed wooden propeller. The cockpit was enclosed, providing side‑by‑side seating for an instructor and a pupil, and the aircraft incorporated split‑flaps, blind‑flying instruments and a simple fixed‑gear undercarriage with a tailwheel. Although only four prototypes were built, the Chardonneret demonstrated several forward‑looking concepts: a streamlined cantilever wing, easy maintenance access, and handling characteristics that closely mimicked those of contemporary fighter types. Its limited production stemmed from budget cuts and intense competition from the Morane‑Saulnier MS.560 and the emerging de Havilland Chipmunk. Nonetheless, the Chardonneret remains a noteworthy step in France’s transition from wartime wooden trainers to modern, metal‑structured aircraft, influencing later designs such as the SNCAN N.2502 Nord Noratlas trainer lineage.