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The Issoire Silène was a sailplane produced in France in the 1970s and early 1980s, intended primarily as a trainer. It was a conventional design of fibreglass construction in versions with fixed or retractable monowheel undercarriage. The aircraft featured side-by-side seating for two, with the seats slightly staggered in order to minimise fuselage width. French certification was obtained on 3 February 1978, and production began shortly thereafter at the rate of two aircraft per month.

CE 75, E 78, and I 79 Silène
Role	Sailplane Type of aircraft
National origin	France
Manufacturer	Siren, CERVA, Issoire
First flight	2 July 1974
Number built	6 by 1978

The original CE 75 design was refined as the E 78, which featured a redesigned and roomier cockpit, and was again available in fixed and retractable undercarriage versions. A further development, the I 79, was in development in 1979, and featured tanks for water ballast as well as hydraulically operated flaps, undercarriage, and airbrakes.

Specifications (CE 75 Silène)

Data from Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1976–77[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 7.95 m (26 ft 1 in)
• Wingspan: 18 m (59 ft 1 in)
• Height: 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)
• Wing area: 18 m² (190 sq ft)
• Airfoil: Bertin E55-166 (16.6%)[2]
• Empty weight: 320 kg (705 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 540 kg (1,190 lb)

Performance

• Stall speed: 63 km/h (39 mph, 34 kn) (single seat)

68 km/h (42 mph; 37 kn) (two seat with radio)

70.5 km/h (43.8 mph; 38.1 kn) (two seat with radio and oxygen equipment)

• Never exceed speed: 245 km/h (152 mph, 132 kn)
  
• Max aerotow speed: 164 km/h (102 mph; 89 kn)
• g limits: +5.3 (normal) ; +8 (ultimate)
• Maximum glide ratio: 36:1 at 84 km/h (52 mph; 45 kn) (single seat fixed mainwheel)

36 at 91.5 km/h (56.9 mph; 49.4 kn) (two seat with radio fixed mainwheel)

38 at 91.5 km/h (56.9 mph; 49.4 kn) (retractable mainwheel)

• Rate of sink: 0.59 m/s (116 ft/min) at 84 km/h (52 mph; 45 kn) (single seat)

0.64 m/s (2.1 ft/s) at 91.5 km/h (56.9 mph; 49.4 kn) (two seat with radio)

0.67 m/s (2.2 ft/s) at 91.5 km/h (56.9 mph; 49.4 kn) (two seat with radio and oxygen equipment)

• Wing loading: 31 kg/m² (6.3 lb/sq ft) (max with oxygen equipment)

29 kg/m² (5.9 lb/sq ft) (two seat with radio)

25 kg/m² (5.1 lb/sq ft) (single seat)

References

Further reading

• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 535.
• Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1977-78. London: Jane's Yearbooks. pp. 581–82.
• Hardy, Michael (1982). Gliders and Sailplanes of the World. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 109.
• Coates, Andrew (1978). Jane's World Sailplanes and Motor Gliders. London: MacDonald and Jane's. p. 29.

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