SET - Romanian Aircraft Designations

S.E.T. - Societatea pentru Exploatâri Tehnice (aka Fabrica de Avioane SET)

Established by Ing Grigore Zamfirescu as an aircraft repair facitility in early 1923. In 1924, SET rebuilt four De Havilland (Airco) DH.9Cs as 'limousines' for airline, CFRNA. An aeronautical division (Fabrica de Avioane) was started in 1925.

Fabrica de Avioane SET produced both original designs and licence-produced others. There is no evidence that any of these licenced aircraft received SET designations.

For original designs, contemporary sources used S.E.T. (or sometimes) SET with or without hypens for designations. I've chosen to simplify matters by using SET without hyphens.

Aircraft licence-built by SET include: IAR 27, IAR 39, Fleet 10G, and Nardi FN.305. For the record, SET licenced production numbers included:

* Fleet F10G ['F' prefix being a local addition] - 1939, 80 built
* IAR IAR-27 (low-wing monoplane trainer) - 1939, 80 built
* Nardi FN.305 (trainer, 200 hp IAR 6GI) - 1940, some sources say only 96 built
- FN.305-II: 1940, 40 built, 200hp IAR 6GI
- FN.305-A : 1941, 34 built, 240hp Argus As10C
- FN.305-IV: 1945, 50 built, 200hp IAR 6GI
* IAR IAR-39 (recce biplane) - 1942 148 planes

At the end of WWII, SET ended aircraft design and production. the second world war, the SET had a somewhat similar fate with IAR. In 1946, SET took the name Uzina Mecanica Fina before being restructured and nationalized in 1953.

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S.E.T. - Romanian Aircraft Designations

S.E.T. 1 -- 1927 2-seat recce biplane;* 1 x test airframe
- S.E.T. 1: aka Proto-S.E.T. I; from 1922 Proto 1 design
- S.E.T. 1: 1 x 180 hp Hispano-Suiza HS.8; span (??) m
- S.E.T. 1: Built for non-flying structual load tests only
-- 'Proto' from chief designer Maior Ștefan Protopopescu
-- Non-flying S.E.T. 1 leads to flyable S.E.T. 2 prototype

S.E.T. 2 -- 1927 2-seat reconnaissance biplane, 1 x prototype
- S.E.T. 2: Tandem 2-seater; unstaggered, single-bay biplane
- S.E.T. 2: 1 x 450 hp Lorraine-Dietrich 12Eb, span 13.40 m
-- aka Proto-S.E.T./Proto-S.E.T. II/S.E.T. II; flying prototype
-- NB: S.E.T. 2//Proto-S.E.T. II quite unrelated to Proto 2

S.E.T. 3 -- 1929 tandem 2-seat military/civilian biplane; x (??)
- S.E.T. 3 : School, training, liaison, & observation a/c series
- S.E.T. 3 : 1 x 230 hp Salmson 9Ab 9-cyl radial; span 9.80 m
- S.E.T. 3 : Prototypes: 1 x structural testing; 1 x test flying
- S.E.T. 3 : Production; Dec 1929; 10 x AAR (Rom. AF) order
- S.E.T. 3G: 1932 record a/c; Bucharest-Saigon-Bucharest flight
- S.E.T. 3G: Long-range fuel tanks; aka S.E.T. 31G 'Foisor' (qv)
- S.E.T. 31: Military variant; split axle u/c; 10 x AAR Dec 1930
- S.E.T. 31G: 1932 single-seat record a/c; aka S.E.T. 3G (qv)
- S.E.T. 31G: 1 x 240hp Lorraine-Dietrich Mizar 47a; span 9.50 m
-- 'G' for pilot Ionel Ghica; fuel tanks in fwd cockpit of CV-XYZ

S.E.T. 4 -- 1931 armed military trainer; S.E.T. 3 variant; x 38
- S.E.T. 4 : Tandem 2-seat military training a/c; aka S.E.T. IV
- S.E.T. 4 : 1 x 230 hp Salmson 9Ab 9-cyl radial; 9.80 m span
- S.E.T. 4 : 1931 AAR order x 20 S.E.T. 4/S.E.T. IV
- S.E.T. 4H: 'H' for 'Hidro'; higher-power;* twin floats; x 8
-- * Some sources suggest HS.8 but radial evident in photos
- S.E.T. 4H: aka 'S.E.T. 7H' (qv); perhaps as a back-formation?
- S.E.T. 41: 1932; 3 x 7.7mm mg + IAR-Barbieri bomb racks
- S.E.T. 41: 1 x 380 hp IAR 7K 7-cylinder radial; 9.80 m span
-- S.E.T. 41 (c/n 60): Night-flying trainer (landing lights); x 1
- S.E.T. 41R: 'R' for 'Recordl'; 1933 for Gheorghe Bănciulescu**
-- ** Bănciulescu was the 1st pilot to fly with prosthetic legs
- S.E.T. 41S: 'S' for 'Special'; combat trainer prototype

S.E.T. 5 -- 1929; low-wing monoplane trainer; no other details

S.E.T. 6 -- (??) hypothetical designation

S.E.T. 7 -- 1931-37; 2-seat advanced trainer/army co-op; x 123
- S.E.T. 7 : 1931 evolution of higher-power S.E.T. 4 trainer (qv)
- S.E.T. 7 : 1 x 365 hp AS Jaguar IIIA 14-cyl. radial; span 9.80 m
- S.E.T. 7 : 30 x ordered of AAR in Dec 1930, 50 x built (in total)
-- S.E.T. 7 could be distinguished by its uncowled Jaguar engine
- S.E.T. 7K : 1934 armed trainer; Lewis gun in 'Grossu-IAR' turret
- S.E.T. 7K : 1 x 420 hp IAR 7K (G-R 7Ksd) 7-cylinder; span 9.80 m
- S.E.T. 7K : 'K' for 7K engine (Gnome-Rhône type designator)
- S.E.T. 7KB: 1935 armed light reconnaissance variant;* 20 x built
- S.E.T. 7KB: 1 x 450 hp IAR 7Ksd 7-cylinder radial; span 9.80 m
-- * S.E.T. 7KB armed with 1 x fixed Vickers 7.7 mm + paired Lewis
- S.E.T. 7KB: 'K' for 7K engine; 'B' for the IAR-Barbieri bomb racks**
-- ** Designed by Dumitru Barbieri at Astra; 24 x 12 kg bomblets
- S.E.T. 7KD: Divisional army co-op/liaison variant of S.E.T. 7KB
- S.E.T. 7KD: 'K' for 7K engine; 'D' for Divizionar (Divisional)
- S.E.T. 7KD: Effectively an operational SET 7KB; but proved to light
- S.E.T. 7KD: Employed for liaison with only 2 x 7.7 mm Lewis guns
- S.E.T. 7H : 1938 seaplane; twin S.E.T. float; same as S.E.T. 4H
- S.E.T. 7H : 'H' for 'Hidro'; for Romanian Navy recce & SAR; x 8
- S.E.T. 7HA: 1940 re-engining of the surviving S.E.T. 4H/'7H fleet
- S.E.T. 7HA: 1 x 240 hp Argus As 10, German IV8; span 9.80 m

S.E.T. 8 -- (??) hypothetical designation

S.E.T. 9 -- 1933 biplane (tourer/trainer?); no other details
- S.E.T. 9: Operated by the ACRR;* c/n 100; reg. YR-ARY
-- * Clubul Regal Auto al României; Royal Rom Aero Club
-- http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_YR-.html

S.E.T. 10 - 1932 tandem 2-seat training biplane; 2 x prototypes*
- S.E.T. 10: Grigore Zamfirescu-designed intermediate trainer
- S.E.T. 10: 1 x 130 hp IAR 4GI (DH Gipsy Major), 9.46 m span
- S.E.T. 10: 1 x 145 hp Walter Mars 9-cyl. radial, 9.46 m span
-- * Some sources claim up to 20 x S.E.T. 10 were built (dubious)

S.E.T. X - 1932 single-seat fighter-trainer biplane; 2 x prototypes
- S.E.T. X : Derived from 2-seat S.E.T. 4;* unrelated to S.E.T. 10
- S.E.T. X : 1 x 365 hp AS Jaguar IIIA 14-cyl. radial; span 8.70 m
-- * Based on engine type, more likely reduced-span S.E.T. 7 deriv.
- S.E.T. X : Armed with a synch. 7.7mm Vickers mg or gun camera

S.E.T. 11 - (??) hypothetical designation
S.E.T. 12 - (??) hypothetical designation
S.E.T. 13 - (??) hypothetical designation

S.E.T. 14 - 1941 2-seat, twin-engined trainer/obs/liaison a/c; x 1
S.E.T. 14: 2 x (??) hp (??) engines; span (??) m
-- S.E.T. 14 prototype said to have served with AAR during WWII
-- Non-sequential designation; well out of sync with others

S.E.T. XV - 1934 single-seat sesquiplane fighter; 1 x prototype
- S.E.T. XV: Single-bay biplane; canopy; spatted main wheels
- S.E.T. XV: 1 x 500 hp Gnome-Rhône 9Krsd;* span 9.40 m
- S.E.T. XV: Fixed armament 2 x synchronized 7.7 mm Vickers
- S.E.T. XV: (Projects) Reinforce fuselage for armament/engines
-- * Alts.: RR Kestrel VI; HS 12Ycsr; Bristol Mercury IX
-- aka S.E.T. 15; dropped 1935; AAR chose IAR-built PZL P.11F

S.E.T. 16 - (??) hypothetical designation
S.E.T. 17 - (??) hypothetical designation
S.E.T. 18 - (??) hypothetical designation
S.E.T. 19 - (??) hypothetical designation

S.E.T. XX - (Project) 1933 unbuilt single-seat biplane fighter
- S.E.T. XX: Possibly evolved with 1934 S.E.T. XV prototype
- S.E.T. XX: 1 x (??) hp Gnome-Rhône 14K;* span (??) m
-- * Perhaps 870 hp?; presum. IAR 14K for production type
- S.E.T. XX: Upper wing altered (compared with S.E.T. XV)

S.E.T. 20 - (Project) 1938 unbuilt trainer/light attack a/c
- S.E.T. 20: Twin-engined monoplane; no other details
- S.E.T. 20: 2 x (??) hp (??) engines; span (??) m
-- * Some sources have claimed a light transport

S.E.T. 30 - (??) hypothetical designation

S.E.T. 40 - (Project) 193? twin-engined light transport aircraft
- S.E.T. 40: Final recorded S.E.T. design

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Hi
Very interresting.
How can I get more details/materials (pictures/colors/dimentions/etc.) of these aeroplanes/projects?
Thanks
Jan

Protopopescu

Hi


Is there anybody who can give me more information concerning the first S.E.T. prototype?
Its concerning the Proto-SET-I.
How did it look/pictures/drawings/dimensions etc.


I found that Protopopescu did designed and they were build (not at the S.E.T. factory) 3 different biplanes:
Proto-1 (1922), Proto-2 (1925) (both build at the Aeronautical Arsenal) and the Astra-Proto (1925).
I found this information in Romanian Aeronautical Construction 1905-1974.
These aeroplanes were the forerunners of the later S.E.T. designs by Protopopescu.
Who has more information concerning these aeroplanes everything is welcome, maybe someone has something which gives an impression of (at least) the fuselage construction?


Thanks
Jan

I sent this before,the SET-II or SET-2.

THANKS, yes you have.
But what about the SET-1???
And what about the forerunners as I mentioned in my question?

PS.Not the internet sites, just like airwar.ru and I have also the book Romanian Aeronautical Constructions 1905-1974

Hi,


here is the source for SET-20 or SET-XX;


http://web.archive.org/web/20030112163127/http://www.samoloty.ow.pl/str003aj.htm

Something i just re-found (but it's been on the back if my head for some time). According to Jane's 1933, apart from the 340kph SET-XV fighter, there was also the SIMILAR (fighter biplane?) SET-XX, presumably a project at that time, but with altered upper wing and a Gnome-Rhone K-14* engine! Speed is estimated 380kph. No pictures were provided.

My opinion? If SET-20 existed, then it and this SET-XX were different projects, see the totally different SET-10 and SET-X above. I remember reading in an old Modelism issue that the twin-engined SET-20 was a 1938 project (possibly they used the SET-XX form, can't recall exactly), but obviously Jane's shows that SET-XX is dated 1933 and is very likely a fighter biplane!

* Scans from 1933 Jane's have been very kindly provided to me by a member of SP. However the edge of this particular page is blurred, i am 99% sure it does say Gnome-Rhone K-14 there, but if possible can someone who has this edition of Jane's check it indeed says K-14? Thank you very much.

Hi,
Yes, I can confirm that the entry in Janes 1933 for SET XX does state it was powered by the Gnôme-Rhône K-14.

Thank you Woodville!

On another note, does anyone knows what is the source regarding the various SET-XV projects with Kestrel, HS-12Y or Mercury engines? That was totally new to me.

Apophenia said:

SET 40 - [Project?] twin-engined light transport a/c, [no details]
-- NB: designation confirmation [?], SET 20 said to be last SET design

Click to expand...

The SET-40 was last designation of this series,and it had been confirmed by a Romanian book.

hesham said:

The SET-40 was last designation of this series,and it had been confirmed by a Romanian book.

Click to expand...

Do you have a source for that, hesham?

BTW: I have corrected and rebuilt post #2. I'll probably tweek post #1 as well.

Does anyone know what the SAFA FK-43 (or Safa FK.43) was? Golden Years of Aviation mentions two such aircraft with Romanian registrations. One was the Cirrus Hermes-powered YR-ABT (c/n 2) registered in April 1933 to a P.M. Loredan of Bucarest. More relevant here was FK.43 (c/n 9) YR-YRY of the Aeroclubul Albastru which was said to be "SET built".

-- http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_YR-.html

Apophenia said:

Do you have a source for that, hesham?

Click to expand...

Yes my dear Apophenia,but I don't have it,