What was the Amiot 122's nickname?

Short answer

French pilots nicknamed their Amiot 122 BP3s "La Grosse Julie", "Fat Julie". The Amiot 122 arrived in 1927 as a somewhat larger and more successful variant of the family, with a single Lorraine 18 Kd engine. The French Air Force used eighty Amiot 122 BP3s as reconnaissance bombers from 1930.

Published: November 1, 2026 · Updated: November 1, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Amiot 123 Idzikowski Kubala

"La Grosse Julie"

French Air Force pilots nicknamed their Amiot 122 BP3s La Grosse Julie, that is, "Fat Julie". The Amiot 122 appeared in 1927 as the somewhat larger and more successful variant of the family, powered by a single Lorraine 18 Kd engine. According to some sources, the Amiot 121 prototype, with a 650 hp Lorraine 18 Kd, and the Amiot 126, with a 700 hp Lorraine 18 Gad, were also built. The family had already suffered a notable loss: the pioneer of French naval aviation, Capitaine de frégate Paul Teste, died on 13 June 1925 when an Amiot 120 crashed at Villacoublay airfield.

Mediterranean and Sahara

The 122 prototype was used for long-distance flights: from 13 September 1927 it completed a 10,800 km tour around the Mediterranean Sea. Between 3 and 5 April 1928, Lieutenant Girardot flew it across the Sahara.

In the units

The French Air Force fielded eighty Amiot 122 BP3s as reconnaissance bombers from 1930, assigned to the 11th Aviation Regiment, based at Metz. Alongside the aircraft intended for French aviation, five others were built for Brazil.