Caudron Simoun

Simoun
	Preserved C.630 at Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace.
Role
Manufacturer	Caudron
Designer	Marcel Riffard
First flight	1934
Introduction	1935
Produced	1930s

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.

Variants[]

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 Bengali 6Q-01 engine, three built.
C.632 Simoun - similar to C.631, one built.
C.633 Simoun - modified fuselage with a Renault Bengali 6Q-07 engine, 6 built.
C.634 Simoun - modified wing and take-off weight with either a Renault Bengali 6Q-01 or Renault Bengali 6Q-09 engine, 3 built.
C.635 Simoun - improved cabin layout and either a Renault Bengali 6Q-01 or Renault Bengali 6Q-09 engine, 46 built and conversions from earlier versions.
C.635M Simoun - military version with either a Renault Bengali 6Q-09 or Renault Bengali 6Q-19 engine, 489 built.

Operators[]

Belgium

Belgian Air Force

France

Air Bleu
Armée de l'Air
Aeronavale

Nazi Germany

Luftwaffe (small numbers)^[1]

Kingdom of Hungary

Hungarian Air Force

United Kingdom

Royal Air Force
- No. 267 Squadron RAF

United States

United States Navy

Specifications (C.630)[]

General characteristics

Crew: 1-2: pilot and (optional) co-pilot
Capacity: 2 passengers
Length: 9.10 m (29 ft 10 in)
Wingspan: 10.4 m (34 ft 2 in)
Height: 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in)
Wing area: 16 m² (170 ft²)
Empty weight: 755 kg (1,660 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 1,380 kg (3,040 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Renault Bengali 6Q-09 six-cylinder inline engine, 220 hp (160 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 300 km/h (160 knots, 190 mph)
Range: 1,500 km (810 nm, 930 mi)
Service ceiling: 6,000 m (20,000 ft)

Notes[]

↑ Ketley, Barry, and Rolfe, Mark. Luftwaffe Fledglings 1935-1945: Luftwaffe Training Units and their Aircraft (Aldershot, GB: Hikoki Publications, 1996), p.11.

References[]

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.

External links[]

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[1] Ketley, Barry, and Rolfe, Mark. Luftwaffe Fledglings 1935-1945: Luftwaffe Training Units and their Aircraft (Aldershot, GB: Hikoki Publications, 1996), p.11.

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