This was the first series III aircraft and Alitalia's first Caravelle to be delivered in April 1960. Cn 35, I-DAXA
was converted to series VI-N standard in 1961, leased to SAM - Societá Aerea Mediterranea from 1968 until
1970, finally being sold to SAETA of Ecuador in 1975 as HC-BAD. She was withdrawn from use in 1977 at
Quito, Ecuador and as she has not been seen since 1988 is presumed to have been broken up.

The SE 210 Caravelle is a first generation jet airliner, infact the first short haul jet airliner to go into production, and is perhaps the most beautiful jetliner to ever fly. Designed by the French company SNCASE, Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Sud-Est, as the reaction to a government specification for a short-haul aircraft, not necessarily a jet, set out in 1951. In 1953 the event of the Rolls-Royce Avon RA 16  opened the way for the Sud-est design, which had up until this point been a three engined, rear mounted configuration, around the much less powerful military Atar engine. A further short cut was taken by incorporating into the design, the entire cockpit of the British de Havilland Comet 1 aircraft.  In February 1953 work began on two prototypes.

Both prototypes used the 10,000 lbs of thrust Rolls Royce Avon RA 26 engine. The first,  F-WHHH  flew on 21st April 1955. It incorporated a side cargo door which was later removed (this feature was to return with the series 11R). The aircraft was used for running and taxing trails  completing, over the next 12 months, its certification programme and following a 12 aircraft order from Air France, going to the latter for proving trails in May 1956. The other prototype, F-WHHI flew on 6th May 1956.

The Caravelle was of very advanced design. It has a wing sweep of 20°, at the time quite unusual for a civil airliner,  with engines mounted at the rear of the fuselage and a tail plane mounted half way up the tail fin. This engine configuration led to lower noise levels in the cabin and less aerodynamic drag when compared to more traditional designs with the engines in or under the wings. Access to the cabin was via the main doors but also by using an internal stair way which was lowered under the tail at the back of the cabin. This feature also gave the aircraft a support when on the ground. These innovational details were later to be used in other civil airliner designs, notably the BAC 1-11 and Douglas DC9. Further more the aircraft used a brake parachute to cut down speeds on landing, being stowed in the tail cone. A further interesting concept was the design of the cabin windows. The "tear drop" shape allowed a very good view for passengers and had no structure weakening corners as with the orginal Comet 1.

The first production model was the series 1 which had a slightly lengthend nose to house a weather radar,  was 1,5 metres  longer than the prototype and  incorporated a dorsal fin along the top of the fuselage at the tail fin root to accomodate various radar antennae. She also used the slightly more powerful Avon Ra-29 Mk.522 with 10,500 lb of thrust. There was accomodation for up to 80 passengers and a flight crew of 2 or 3. The first of these series 1 aircraft, c/n 1 F-BHRA, made her first flight on 14th May 1958. After French certification on 2nd April 1959 she was delivered to Air France as part of the 12 aircraft order and in May 1959 entered service on the Paris to Istanbul route. Air France had already recieved c/n 2 F-BHRB, on the 19th March, offically the first Caravelle delivered. It was how ever SAS who had the distinction of being the first comercial operator of the Caravelle. The prototype 02 was leased from the makers in March 1959 to initiate a training programme and on the 26th of April it was used on an inaugural service to the Middle East. SAS had placed an order for 6 aircraft in June 1957 and the first of these, LN-KLH c/n3, was delivered on the 10th April 1959. A major commericial break through had also been achieved with the ordering in 1957 and concequent delivery of two aircraft, deliveries starting in September 1959, to Varig the national airline of Brazil. In all 20 series 1 aircraft were delivered. This series was to be bettered by the series 1a which used the refined Rolls Royce Avon turbojet , the mark 526 engine. The first of these was delivered to Finnair as  OH-LEA, c/n 21, on 18th February 1960. 12 of this version were delivered.

The first major model upgrade came in the shape of the series III. This was an aircraft with basically the same airframe using the Avon RA 29 mk 527 three stage turbojet engine with 11,400 lb thrust. This increase in power ment higher aircraft weights could be permitted. The first was Flown in December 1959 and the first production aircraft, c/n 35,  was delivered to Alitalia on 29th April 1960 as I-DAXA and went into service on the Rome-London service on 23rd May 1960. A total of 78 of this series were built and 31 of the 32 series 1 models were converted to series III standard during 1960-61. (all except c/n 14 OY-KRB of SAS which crashed at Ankara Turkey 19.01.60). One particular Series III was delivered to General Electric, the US engine maker, on 25th July 1960 (c/n 42). The aircraft was, as a private venture from GE , reengined with the 16,100 Ib of thrust   GE-CJ805-23C turbofan engine. N420GE "Santa Maria" was to be the prototype for a possible series VII model. In this reengined form the series "VII" flew for the first time in December 1960. Trans World Airlines showed a great deal of interest in the project.

Already in the pipe line, the next mark was the Caravelle VI. This version uses even more powerful Avon engines and a reinforced undercarriage to counter the extra engine thrust.The VI-N uses  the noise suppressed RA 29 Mk 531 rated at 12,200 Ib of thrust. This type was first delivered to Sabena (OO-SRA) on 20th January 1961, having it's maiden flight from Brussels to Nice  on 18th February 1961. Similarly the first VI-R was delivered two days previously to US airline giant United Airlines. This order of 20 aircraft   represented the largest order for the Caravelle up to that time. The basic VI-R aircraft differed from the VI-N in having the Avon Ra 29 mark 532R with reverse-thrust, rated at 12,600 Lb of thrust. More then 200 refinements were embodied in the VI-R in order to conform to the US FAA (Federal Aviation Authorty) requirements. The most obvious change being the installation of new radar avionics which meant that the dorsal fin disapeared and a slight dome appeared above the cockpit to house the new equipment. This was a refinement not to be found on other Series VI-R aircraft (for example the fleets of Iberia or Austrain Airlines). Similar installations were made on other preceeding models and the last model, the series 12 did away with the dorsal fin altogether. Also larger cockpit windows were requested by the FAA, again a change kept on all preceeding models of the Caravelle. Altogether 53 series VI-N aircraft were delivered and 56 series VI-R. This was by far the most successful variant of the Caravelle at a total of 109 units being delivered.

The next model to appear was yet another attempt to corner the US market after the very successful 20 aircraft sale to United. With the experience gained through the series VII project the series 10A Horizon emerged. Again incorporating the General electric GE CJ805-23C engine this model had a 1 meter fuselage stretch compared to the standard Caravelle and was tailored to the needs of TWA. The aircraft had its cabin windows highered by 20 cm in order to facilitate a larger cargo hold and introduced an APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) in the tail cone. A modifyed wing with a wing, root leading edge extension and improved flaps was also introduced. Also a large cigar shaped fin/tailplane fairing was introduced to counter the larger tailplane. The prototype flew on 31.08.1962. Trans World Airlines indeed showed great  interest and in September 1961 ordered 20 aircraft. Four aircraft were begun as series 10A aircraft (c/n 128, 130, 132 and 134) but the TWA order was cancelled and work on these airframes, indeed on the whole project came to an end. The four aircraft were later finished off as series VI-N models. SUD Avaition had perhaps made a tactical error in asking Douglas to market the Caravelle in the US, Douglas had even considered building it under licence! Be that as it may Trans World Airlines was suffereing at this time financial difficulties and interest in the Horizon A was lost. TWA later ordered the Douglas DC9 which was first to fly  in 1965. Only 1 prototype of the 10A Horizon was built (c/n 63 F-WJAO). This aircraft was scrapped in 1967 and the cockpit section used in ship c/n 259, a series 10B3 for Sterling Airways.

Parallel to the series 10A Horizon SUD also developed the10B Horizon or 10B3 as it became known. This series had the same 1 metre stretch over the standard Caravelle fuselage as the model 10A and a number of other refinements introduced by the 10A such as the APU. This version how ever used the Pratt and Whittney JT8D-1  turbofan delivering 14,000 lb of thrust.A protype flew on 03 March 1964 and the first entered service with Finnair on 16th August 1964. This aircraft had a gross weight of 114,640 lb and accomodation was provided for 104 passengers. Sterling Airways introduced the "Super B" at a weight of 119,050 lb on 23 February 1968 using the JTD8D-7R and later Sterling Airways also introduced a version with 123,460 lb gross start weight using the JTD8D-9R engine. All in all 22 of this variant were built.

Further models were the 10B1R or 10R as it became known, the model 11R and the series 12 which ended the Caravelle range, the last being built in 1972 for Air Inter. The 10R was  powered by Pratt and Whittney JT8D-1R or JT8D-7R engines using the Caravelle VI airframe. The prototype first flew on 18th January 1965 and whilst passenger capacity remained unchanged from the VI, the payload/range and speed performances  were greatly improved.  First operator of this variant was Royal Jordanian Airlines. 20 of this model were built. The 11R was a mixed passenger/cargo aircraft, having a large freight door in the port (left) side of the fuselage with a moveable bulkhead to seperate passenger and freight compartments. The fuselage was lengthened by 93 cm compared to the series 10R but used the same Pratt and Whittney JT8D-1R or JT8D-7R powerplant. The first flight of the prototype was  made on 21st April 1967. Accomodation was for 99 pasengers. Unfortunately only three operators orderd the type; Air Afrique, Air Congo (later Air Zaire) and Transeuropa of Spain and a total of only 6 were completed. The series 12 variant had a stretch of 3,53 metres compared to the 11R and was develeped primarily for the charter operations of Sterling Airways . It used the more powerful JT8D-9 allowing a maxium of 140 passengers in a high density seating configuration. It first flew on 29 October 1972. Sterling Airways received 7 and Air Inter of France received 5 aircraft  bringing the Caravelle production run to an end in 1972 with a total of 282 aircraft, including 3 unsold prototypes.

A further very important development was the perfection of an automatic landing system for the SE 210. Trails were first carried out on the 01 prototype aircraft during  September 1962

Break even for the Caravell had been calculated by SUD Est (SUD Aviation) at 100 units and there fore the final production number reflects quite a success despite the fact that today (2004) sadly only 3 aircraft remain in service. Great lessons had been learned, all of which were perhaps not immediately apparent, benifical to the overall European aircraft manufacturing comunity. How, for example, a perfected, aerodynamically balanced aircraft concept can be weighed down by catering to closely to the needs of one Operator, a lesson also panfully learned by British Manufacturers. The need, on the other hand, to keep the design versatile enough to attract as many users as possible, demonstarted perhaps to late by the Caravelle design team. Valuable marketing concepts were also learned. In short the Caravelle experience was to be a worthy heritage to the Airbus Industrie Consortium of today. ....

This Caravelle III of Air France, F-BKGZ cn 83, illustrates clearly the internal stairway extended, one of the many features of this type.
This particular aircraft was damaged beyond repair by a bomb explosion in Ho Chi Minh City, 'Vietnam on the 28th of August 1975.
Air France was forced to operate the Caravelle well into the 1980s. The proposed replacement aircraft, the Boeing 737 had only
a two flight crew cockpit and this provoked industrial action from French pilots in 1979. The problem resolved, the first 737s
were eventually ordered and delivered in 1982.

This Caravelle series I was the first to be delivered to SAS on the 10th of April 1959. LN-KLH
cn 3 was conveted to series III standard in October 1960 and ended her life as a museum exhibit
being donated to the air museum at Oslo in 1974. SAS was infact the first airline to operate the
Caravelle on scheduled flights, leasing the prototype 02, F-BHHI from Sud Aviation for training
in March 1959 and using the same aircraft on scheduled services to the Middle East from 26th
of April 1959 onwards.

American interest in the Caravelle was at first quite high. Twenty series VI-R aircraft were
ordered and delivered to United Airlines. This series featured enlarged cockpit windows
larger engines, air brakes, and thrust reversers. Note the missing fairing at the base of the
tail fin on the top of the fuselage and slightly domed cockpit cabin, both refinements needed
in order to obtain US airworthyness. This particular aircraft was delivered in July 1961.
All Uniteds Caravelles were named after French cities and this one, N1003U was called
"Ville de Marseille". The aircraft was sold off in 1971 to Sterling later going to an air museum.
She has ended her days as so many old aircraft do, as a fire fighters traing object in 2003.

Typical for the Caravelle during the 1990s. Air Toulouse International, a French charter airline
had a fleet of 7 series 10B3 aircraft, leased from various airlines. After 1993 they were gradually
being phased out in favour of the Boeing 737. The Caravelle, although older was favoured by
many charter companies as it was withdrawn from the fleets of scheduled carriers. This particular
example, a series 10B3 "Super 10" is shown as it appeared at Las Palmas airport during the summer
of 1994. She had been delivered to Finnair in 1964, going to Altair of Italy in 1981, later going to Air
Charter in 1989, being leased out to Air Toulouse in 1992. She was used for spares after 1997 and
eventually scrapped on the 12th of March 2004.