Caudron_Simoun Knowpia

Simoun
	Preserved C.630 at Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace.
Role	Touring plane, mail plane, liaison plane
Manufacturer	Caudron
Designer	Marcel Riffard
First flight	1934
Introduction	1935
Produced	1930s
Number built	680 (estimated)

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.

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

Belgian Air Force

France

Germany

Luftwaffe (small numbers)^[1]

Hungary

Royal Hungarian Air Force

United Kingdom

Royal Air Force
- No. 267 Squadron RAF

United States

United States Navy

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)

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.