On this day in aviation history, 88 years ago (April 12, 1938), the first flight of the Aubert PA-20 Cigale took place. French for Cicada, the Cigale was part of a family of high-wing monoplanes built in France by Aubert Aviation. The PA-20 was manufactured in the years immediately before World War II, while its variants came along after the War’s conclusion. The original PA-20 was exhibited at the 1938 Paris Salon; however, the aircraft’s development was paused by the global conflict. Designed by Paul Aubert, the PA-20 prototype (not to be confused with the Piper PA-20 Pacer, another high-wing taildragger) first flew under the power of a 60-horsepower Train 6T engine. This engine was soon swapped for a 150-horsepower Renault 4Pei, and the aircraft was redesignated as the PA-201 Cigale. The original Aubert PA-201 was destroyed as a byproduct of World War II, but Paul Aubert would return to the design in 1945. He built another PA-201 to the same specifications as before, and flew the aircraft competitively from 1945 to 1946. The design proved to be highly successful and showed promise as a potential general aviation mainstay.
Aubert continued to develop his design, creating a four-seater designated as the PA-204 Cigale Major. The PA-204 first flew on April 21, 1947, with Aubert beginning work on a second Cigale Major shortly after. The PA-204s were subject to multiple engine tests and re-fits during development. In 1951, a 135 hp SNECMA 4L was fitted, and the aircraft was redesignated as the PA-204S. In 1955, a 135 hp Lycoming O-290-D2B was mounted, and the PA-204L was born. Finally, in 1956, the Lycoming O-320 was mated to create the PA-205 Super Cigale. At long last, Aubert was pleased with the design. Around thirty Super Cigales were manufactured, with eight going on to fly with Aéroclub Air France. The PA-204L Super Cigale had one pilot and three passengers. The 150 hp Lycoming O-320 flat-four piston engine gave the PA-204L a cruise speed of 140 mph and a maximum airspeed of 158 mph. The Super Cigale could take off in 755 feet and would land at 56 mph at a distance of 394 feet. Aubert designed the PA-204L to have a range of 1,020 nautical miles, a service ceiling of 14,800 feet, and a 890-foot-per-minute rate of climb. On average, the Super Cigale would burn 8 gallons per hour of fuel.
