The company Caudron, with
its success in competitions such as the Deutsch Cup, is trying to
get an order from the Air Force for a light training aircraft. The
company offers the Caudron C720 late 1935, but this aircraft, under-powered
(140hp), does not attract the attention of the military. The Caudron
C690 replaces it, powered this time by a Renault GQ-03 220cv. The
unit is built entirely of wood according to a process dear to Caudron.
The prototype No 01 made
its first flight in early 1936 under the registration F-AOLM. The
perfromances are this time, the appointment but the device is considered
difficult to drive, including a lack of stability. Following the
various tests, some modifications are made: the surface of the drift
is reduced and the fuselage is thinned in its rear part. During
the new tests in this configuration, the prototype n ° 02 crashes
on takeoff. His pilot, René Paulhan is killed: wearing boots
too wide, he couldn't master his aircraft. This one not being in
question, the tests continue in the hands of different pilots. At
the end of this series of tests, at the end of 1938, the C690 joined
the Caudrons workshops to undergo modifications: Addition of a 5
° dihedral on the wings to improve its stability, adding a leading
edge promote lift at low speeds.
The testers will emit a reserved
notice on the C690: it is considered too delicate, but an order
of 15 machines was passed in April 1938. The delivery of the standard
equipment will spread from April to May 1939 to the flying schools
. May 10, 1940, there are 11 devices present. Faced with the German
advance, schools are turning south, especially to Toulouse, and
Armisitice, 6 Caudron C690 are listed. These devices will be seized
by the Germans in November 1942. Only the C690 No. 9 will survive
the conflict : repair in the workshops of Issy-Moulineaux, it will
remain hidden until release. Rehabilitated, he took off again on
April 12, 1945, but his track was quickly lost.
The Caudron C690 generated
interest from foreign countries. Both prototypes performed demonstrations
before Russian and Japanese commissions in particular. The Russians
wish to buy a copy, but Caudron, fearing to lost his knowledges,
accepted only if a Manufacture License was acquired. After agreement,
the Russians realized a Russian version of the C690. It differed
from the French version in particular by adding a tail wheel. At
the tests it proved more unstable than the French version and there
was no continuation.
The Japanese also buy a copy
for the Navy, but there is no trace on the course of this device
in Japan.
The Caudron C690 was a modern,
high-performance aircraft, and even though the aircraft was tricky
to fly, it allowed the apprentice pilots to train on a demanding
aircraft, preparing them for the piloting of the modern planes of
fight which began to arrive in units
