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 | |
| Type | Touring plane, mail plane, liaison plane |
| Manufacturer | Caudron |
| Designer | |
| Number built | 680 (estimated) |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1930s |
| Introduction date | 1935 |
| First flight | 1934 |
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
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Specifications (C.630)
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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
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Related lists
Notes
edit- ^ Ketley, Barry, and Rolfe, Mark. Luftwaffe Fledglings 1935–1945: Luftwaffe Training Units and their Aircraft (Aldershot, GB: Hikoki Publications, 1996), p.11.
- ^ 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.
External links
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