Caudron C.270 Luciole

1931

Back to the Virtual Aircraft Museum
  SPORTING, TOURING AIRCRAFTVirtual Aircraft Museum / France / Caudron  

Caudron C.270 Luciole

Developed from the C.230 series by Paul Deville, the first Caudron C.270 appeared in 1931. It had less complicated wing folding, modified ailerons, rudder and elevators, and reverted to fabric covering for the fuselage. The landing gear was more refined compared with that of the C.230. Production of the basic C.270, powered by a 71kW Salmson 7Ac seven-cylinder radial, totalled 82. Production of all versions of the Luciole totalled 725. After the outbreak of World War II many C.272/4s and C.275s were requisitioned for service use as liaison aircraft. In 1946 the surviving machines were used as glider tugs by the Ecole de I'Air at Salon-en-Provence.

Variants

Caudron C.270/1: powered by an improved Salmson 7Ac2 engine

Caudron C.271: had an 89kW Lorraine 5Pc inline engine and a Ratier metal propeller; only one built.

Caudron C.271/2: powered by an 82kW Lorraine 5Pb engine; five built

Caudron C.272: version with a Renault 4Pb engine; production totalled 52

Caudron C.272/2: powered by a Renault 4Pci engine; from the fifth example of the 22 C.272/2s completed the fin and rudder assembly was taller and more pointed, a shape which characterised all later Lucioles

Caudron C.272/3: total of 15. built, powered by a Renault 4Pdi engine of 89kW and fitted with Messier brakes

Caudron C.272/4: version with a 104kW Renault 4Pei engine and Messier brakes; the luggage compartment forward of the cockpits was eliminated; total of 21 built

Caudron C.272/5: 80 examples of the C.272/5 were built, all powered by a 75kW Renault 4Pgi engine

Caudron C.273: 14 of this version built, powered by the Michel 4 A-14 engine of 75kW driving a Merville series 402 propeller

Caudron C.2.74: one example completed and displayed at the 1932 Paris Salon de I'Aeronautique; powered by the unsuccessful 101kW Chaise 4Ba engine

Caudron C.275: this version was similar to the C.272/5, being powered by the same 75kW Renault 4Pgi engine, but dispensed with wing folding; it was by far the most popular version of the Luciole, and like the other versions was sold to private owners in France and abroad, flew with the Caudron flying schools at Royan, Amberieu and Guyancourt, and during the 1930s was seen regularly at aerial meetings and sporting contests; of the 433 C.275s built, 296 were ordered by the French government for the Aviation Populaire movement, which was intended to train would-be pilots who were unable to afford the fees charged by flying clubs

Caudron C.276: this version was powered by a 78kW de Havilland Gipsy III engine, with brakes designed-by the Charles company and a tailplane reminiscent of the earlier Lucioles. One of these aircraft was used in the film The Blue Max to represent a German World War I fighter; the designation C.276H was given to two C.276s re-engined in 1956 with West German Hirth HM 504 A2 engines

Caudron C.277: nine of this version built, being identical with the C.272/4 except that the wings did not fold .

Caudron C.277R: this was a solitary C.275 re-engined with a Renault 4Po 3 in 1949

Caudron C.278: one example built; this had new landing gear and a 101kW Salmson 9Nc engine; participated in the Challenge Internationale de Tourisme competition with the contest code K-4.

Specification 
 MODELC.272
 ENGINE1 x 71kW Renault 4Pb inline piston engine
 WEIGHTS
  Take-off weight780 kg1720 lb
  Empty weight516 kg1138 lb
 DIMENSIONS
  Wingspan9.9 m33 ft 6 in
  Length7.67 m25 ft 2 in
  Height2.76 m9 ft 1 in
  Wing area24 m2258.33 sq ft
 PERFORMANCE
  Max. speed158 km/h98 mph
  Cruise speed135 km/h84 mph
  Ceiling4000 m13100 ft
  Range500 km311 miles

Comments
Bianchi gérard, e-mail, 03.03.2012 18:24

J'ai eu le plaisir de faire plusieurs courts vols en passager dans l'un de ces appareils. F PAPI
Depuis 1997 je n'ai plus de nouvelles. Il était basé sur l'aérodrome de Lessay (50) et appartenait à Stéphane Lemoine qui l'avais restauré à l'identique de façon magistrale.
Le propriétaire disait que son moteur était d'origine, un Renault Bengali. (cette appellation n'est pas mentionnée ci-dessus) La culasse était en dessous pour éloigner l'axe d'hélice du sol. Les ailes repliables.

reply

Howard Bolderson, e-mail, 30.12.2011 18:54

Very little information available for this aircraft in the UK. Is there a working example, or museum exhibit that I may visit in France?

reply

lxbfYeaa, e-mail, 14.03.2024 Howard Bolderson

20

reply

Daumas Pauo, e-mail, 25.06.2011 14:13

En1946, l'Aéro-club du PUY 43 Haute Loire en possédait UN,basé
sur le terrain de LE PUY LOUDES. AVION école.

reply

lxbfYeaa, e-mail, 14.03.2024 Daumas Pauo

20

reply

jean-rene cadorel, e-mail, 31.07.2008 00:54

I did my first ever flight in one of those (1950), being used as tow-plane for the Gliding club at Chavenay, France.

reply

Do you have any comments?

Name    E-mail


All the World's Rotorcraft

All rhe World's Rotorcraft AVIATION TOP 100 - www.avitop.com Avitop.com