Socata Rallye 100 – French quality
The Socata Rallye is a successful series of multi-purpose light-engine aircraft that was designed and produced in France. The first aircraft of this family took to the air in 1961, and the feasibility of production was exhausted in 1982. In 1957, the French designers were tasked with creating a multi-purpose light-engine aircraft that would compete with single-class aircraft from other countries. The result was the Socata Rallye MS.880, with which the development of the Socata family continued.
Socata began its operations as a division of Sud-Aviation Corporation and initially produced aircraft of this company under the brand name Rallye. All aircraft of this French manufacturer had in common a monoplane with a low-lying wing and fixed landing gear. Only the maximum lift weight and engine power could be adjusted in the aircraft. It wasn’t until 1979 that Socata was allowed to implement its own engineering designs.
History of the Socata Rallye aircraft
The model with the index 880 was designed for two people, including the pilot, the main consumer of the plane was supposed to be private users. It was powered by a Continental O-200, which could produce up to 100 horsepower and reach a top speed of 170 kilometers per hour. The Achilles’ heel of this Sokata version was its mediocre maneuverability – the pilot could not quickly change course or perform aerobatics. Due to this the 880 did not become popular.
Socata Rallye 100 – took into account all the mistakes of the past
When developing the Socata with the prefix 100, the French designers took into account all the shortcomings and malfunctions that occurred in previous models. This made the Sokata 100 more maneuverable, easier to maintain and, as a result, a sought-after aircraft. The main advantage of the novelty was the power unit Continental O-200, which developed 100 hp and reached a top speed of 240 km/hour. This model of aircraft became much more maneuverable, so it was successfully used for the training of new pilots and training flights. Excellent visibility from a fully glazed cockpit allows you to get a full picture of what is happening under the wing of the aircraft. That is why many flying clubs use Sokata-100 for air tourism, a large fuel reserve allows to use the aircraft for patrolling and flying over areas.
High demand for various modifications of the Sokata among private and corporate customers enabled the production of 3,300 units of this aircraft. The last production version was the Rallye 110ST, which was equipped with a 110 hp engine.