KEA Chelidon


The Chelidon was the first airplane developed by the Greek EAF aircraft factory with management provided by Blackburn Aircraft Limited at the time. According to one source, it was designed by Charles H Lowe-Wylde, although in the contemporary Jane's edition it is mentioned that "it was designed largely by Greeks", according to Greek Navy specifications. The development of the Chelidon was completed in the virtually record time of eight weeks, and the first flight was made on 20 February 1927, as a two-seater military biplane designed for advanced training and other roles including reconnaissance and could also be transformed into a hydroplane. Powered by a Salmson engine,, and had a maximum speed of.
An order was originally placed in December 1926, by the Greek Navy, for 18 aircraft but no further production followed, as, after the three-month test flight period, it was considered inferior to alternative proposed models. The example built was used for technical personnel training at KEA and was probably scrapped in 1938.

Specifications (Chelidon)

further reading