| 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.
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]
Data from L'Aerophile Salon 1930[1]
General characteristics
Performance