RF2

The RF1 had impressed French officials enough that state money went toward a second, more rigorously certified prototype. Two pioneering glider pilots, Éric Nessler and Georges Abrial, were among the official test pilots. Where the RF1 had been classed simply as an amateur-built aircraft, the RF2 had to satisfy both aeroplane certification up to 5.7 tonnes and glider requirements — including the ability to hold a vertical dive with full airbrakes deployed without exceeding its structural limits.

Rectimo of Chambéry adapted a new 39hp version of the Volkswagen engine for the aircraft — reportedly the first standard car engine adapted for aviation use. Fournier partnered with Antoine d'Assche, founder of Alpavia at Gap-Tallard, and together they built two examples.

The RF2's efficiency was demonstrated in October 1962, when pilot Claude Visse flew for six hours and forty-two minutes on just 30 litres of fuel — an average of around 4.2 litres an hour at 90km/h. But the extra structure needed to satisfy the glider dive requirement, plus the heavier engine, added about 20kg over the RF1, and the undercarriage proved fragile with airbrakes that were more powerful than any club pilot really needed. Fournier concluded the formula needed simplifying — which became the RF3.

One RF2 is preserved at the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace at Le Bourget; the other was, at last report, still flying in the Ain region of France.