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Caudron C.180

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Caudron C.180
At the 1930 Paris Salon
Role 10 seat Airliner
National origin France
Manufacturer Caudron Airplane Company (Société des Avions Caudron)
First flight 1930
Number built 1

The Caudron C.180 was an all-metal, three-engine French ten-seat passenger aircraft, flown about 1930. Only one was built.

Design and development

The Caudron C.180 was a high-wing cantilever monoplane with metal structure and duraluminium covering.[1] The skin on the wing was smooth[2] rather than corrugated in the Junkers style (e.g. Junkers Ju 52). The single spar wing was in three sections; the inner part carried the outer pair of 224 kW (300 hp) Lorraine 9N Algol 9-cylinder, air-cooled engines well ahead of the leading edge, cylinders exposed, on faired mountings which merged into the wing. The centre section also contained the fuel tanks.[1]

The third Algol engine was in the nose of the fuselage; behind it the cockpit was just ahead of the leading edge. The flat-sided fuselage consisted of two parts, bolted together, and contained a cabin for ten passengers with a lavatory and luggage compartment.[1] The tail surfaces were straight-edged and conventional, with a balanced rudder.[2]

The C.180 had a fixed tail wheel undercarriage. Each main wheel was mounted on a half-axle hinged from the lower fuselage and located by a hinged trailing strut, with a vertical, shock absorbing leg to the outer wing centre section below the engine, providing a wide track.[1][2]

The exact date of the first flight is not known, but one source suggests 1930;[3] certainly the aircraft appeared, flown or unflown, at the December 1930 Paris Salon.[1] At that show the main wheels were enclosed in fairings.[2] Intended to be suitable for work in the French colonies,[3] the C.180 was designed to be powered by a range of engines, air- and liquid-cooled, in the 150–220 kW (200–300 hp) power range[1] but only one Algol-powered example seems to have been completed.[3]

Specifications

Data from L'Aerophile Salon 1930[1]

General characteristics

  • Length: 14.6 m (47 ft 11 in)
  • Wingspan: 24.5 m (80 ft 5 in)
  • Height: 4.77 m (15 ft 8 in) [3]
  • Wing area: 70 m2 (750 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 2,690 kg (5,930 lb)
  • Gross weight: 4,500 kg (9,921 lb)
  • Fuel capacity: 650 kg (1,433 lb)
  • Powerplant: 3 × Lorraine 9N Algol 9-cylinder, air-cooled engine, 220 kW (300 hp) each
  • Propellers: 2-bladed [2]

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 225 km/h (140 mph, 121 kn) at sea level
  • Range: 2,400 km (1,500 mi, 1,300 nmi) double radius of action
  • Service ceiling: 7,000 m (23,000 ft)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Caudron". L'Aérophile. Vol. 1930, no. L'Aérophile Salon 1930. p. 103.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Caudron". Flight. Vol. XXII, no. 50. 12 December 1930. p. 1430.
  3. ^ a b c d "Caudron C.180". www.aviafrance.com. 21 August 2003. Retrieved 20 October 2014.