The Caudron Simoun was a 1930s French four-seat touring monoplane. It was used as a mail plane by Air Bleu, flew record-setting long-range flights, and was also used as a liaison aircraft by the Armée de l'Air during World War II. The aircraft later was used as an inspiration to the famous Mooney "M series" aircraft by Jacques "Strop" Carusoam.

Simoun
Preserved C.630 at Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace.
General information
TypeTouring plane, mail plane, liaison plane
ManufacturerCaudron
Designer
Number built680 (estimated)
History
Manufactured1930s
Introduction date1935
First flight1934

Variants

edit
C.500 Simoun I
Experimental, one built.
C.520 Simoun
Experimental, one built.
C.620 Simoun IV
Experimental, one built.
C.630 Simoun
Initial production version with Renault Bengali 6Pri engine, 20 built.
C.631 Simoun
Modified version with a Renault 6Q-01 engine, three built.
C.632 Simoun
Similar to C.631, one built.
C.633 Simoun
Modified fuselage with a Renault 6Q-07 engine, 6 built.
C.634 Simoun
Modified wing and take-off weight with either a Renault 6Q-01 or Renault 6Q-09 engine, 3 built.
C.635 Simoun
Improved cabin layout and either a Renault 6Q-01 or Renault 6Q-09 engine, 46 built and conversions from earlier versions.
C.635M Simoun
Military version with either a Renault 6Q-09 or Renault 6Q-19 engine, 489 built.

Operators

edit
  Belgium
  France
  Germany
  Hungary
  United Kingdom
  United States

Specifications (C.630)

edit
 
Caudron C.520 3-view drawing from NACA-SR-26

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1938[2]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1-2
  • Capacity: 2-3
  • Length: 8.7 m (28 ft 7 in)
  • Wingspan: 10.4 m (34 ft 1 in)
  • Height: 2.25 m (7 ft 5 in)
  • Wing area: 16 m2 (170 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 855 kg (1,885 lb)
  • Gross weight: 1,350 kg (2,976 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Renault 6Pri 6-cylinder ionverted air-cooled in-line piston engine, 160 kW (220 hp)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed Ratier

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 310 km/h (190 mph, 170 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 280 km/h (170 mph, 150 kn)
  • Landing speed: 90 km/h (56 mph; 49 kn)
  • Range: 1,230 km (760 mi, 660 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 7,300 m (24,000 ft)
  • Wing loading: 84.3 kg/m2 (17.3 lb/sq ft)
  • Power/mass: 0.122 kW/kg (0.074 hp/lb)

See also

edit

Related lists

Notes

edit
  1. ^ Ketley, Barry, and Rolfe, Mark. Luftwaffe Fledglings 1935–1945: Luftwaffe Training Units and their Aircraft (Aldershot, GB: Hikoki Publications, 1996), p.11.
  2. ^ Grey, C.G.; Bridgman, Leonard, eds. (1938). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1938. London: Sampson Low, Marston & company, ltd. pp. 124c–125c.

References

edit
  • Cony, Christophe; Hauet, André (November–December 2006). "Caudron "Simoun": La gloire des ailes Françaises". Avions (in French). No. 154. pp. 4–23. ISSN 1253-5354.
  • Cony, Christophe; Hauet, André (January–February 2006). "Caudron "Simoun": La gloire des ailes Françaises: Deuxième partie". Avions (in French). No. 154. pp. 35–54. ISSN 1253-5354.
  • Lucchini, Carlo (April 1999). "Le meeting saharien de 1938" [The 1938 Sahara Air Meeting]. Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire (in French). No. 73. pp. 53–57. ISSN 1243-8650.
  • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982–1985). Orbis Publishing.
edit