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