This aircraft was designed by well-known French designer Yves Gardan during the 1950s. In the latter part of that decade, Sud-Aviation acquired from Gardan a licence to build the design. The prototype first flew in the summer of 1960,[1] and Sud-Aviation (which later became part of SOCATA) manufactured 267 units by the end of 1969, when production was terminated. The design uses a low-mounted cantilever wing which incorporates four mechanically operated Fowler-type trailing-edge flaps and two Frise-type ailerons. The tricycle undercarriage was partially retractable (a little more than half of each wheel remains exposed in the retracted position). The basic design used a 150 hp (119 kW) Avco Lycoming O-320 flat air-cooled engine driving a fixed-pitch metal propeller, but later models had a 160 hp version of the O-320 and a constant speed propellor. Later still a 180 hp 0-360 engine with a constant speed propeller was available. 160 hp Horizon 180 hp Horizon
