On this day in aviation history, 93 years ago (July 11, 1933), the first flight of the Dewoitine D.332 Emeraude took place. French for Emerald, the D.332 was a tri-engined airliner designed by native aviation manufacturer Dewoitine. The D.332 was derived from Dewoitine’s single-engine D.33, a long-range aircraft. All-metal construction was the chosen means of manufacturing the Emeraude, which featured an enclosed cabin for crew and passengers. Prominent trouser-type fairings were installed over the landing gear, streamlining the airframe and reducing overall parasite drag.
The D.332’s fuselage was divided into three compartments. The forward section contained the cockpit and radio operator’s station, along with a baggage compartment. The center fuselage section housed the passenger compartment, with room for eight passengers and an additional washroom. The rearmost fuselage section housed the luggage compartment. The D.332 prototype flew under the power of three 575 hp Hispano-Suiza 9V nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engines. The Emeraude would cruise at 160 mph, and the aircraft could attain a maximum airspeed of 190 mph. In flight testing, the D.332 proved a range of 1,100 nautical miles and a service ceiling of 20,700 ft. The D.332 could reach an altitude of 13,000 ft in 17 minutes, 30 seconds.
The prototype Emeraude was lost to an icing-related accident on January 15, 1934, over Corbigny, France. All occupants of the aircraft were lost as a result. Despite this horrific incident, Air France had seen enough of the D.332 to believe that it could serve effectively as an airliner. An order for three production D.333 variants was placed, which featured more passenger capacity with seating for ten. The D.333 also had a stronger airframe and a higher gross weight of 3,640 lbs. All three D.333s flew Air France’s Toulouse-Dakar sector of the South American route for a number of years. Two D.333s were funneled to the Argentine Air Force after WWII. These aircraft served alongside two D.338s, an improved version of the D.333 with retractable landing gear.
