433
Caudron Luciole C.275
have
been built since the date of the first flight in
1936.
To
date, of the
433 aircrafts
manufactured,
2 are
listed in the list below
:
In 1930, Paul Deville, design
engineer at Caudron, designed the C270 "Luciole". This
nickname "Luciole" pays tribute to the mare parents Caudron
who pulled the first planes of the two brothers on the family farm.
The device is a conventional
manufacturing biplane: its fuselage and wings, of equal size, are
made of covered wood. The latter are also foldable along the fuselage.
The Luciole has a fixed train and a crutch. Of simple construction,
it does not have shutters or compensators and does not have brakes.
The pilot, who has a minimalist instrumentation, and his passenger
take place in two separate cockpits in tandem. The crew has a luggage
compartment behind the engine bulkhead and a toolbox. The aircraft,
powered by a Salmson star 95hp can not claim to perform aerobatics,
but it is an excellent start aircraft, demanding, but stabl and
robust.
The success will come immediately,
and the Caudron Luciole will win in 1936, the contest organized
by the Ministry of Air for the supply of a simple and economic device
able to train the pilots in the French Aero-Clubs. The purpose of
this program is to promote the training of civilian pilots, able
if necessary, to quickly join the ranks of the Air Force. 296 devices
were purchased for this. At that time, the Luciole was sold 46,500
Frs and 4 months were needed for its manufacture.
Some copies were used on
both sides during the Spanish Civil War
The manufacture of the device
will cease with the outbreak of World War II: 720 "Luciole",
all versions, will be produced, the largest being the C.275 with
a production of 433 exemplaires. The aircraft will not take part
in the conflict directly, to note, however, the two Caudron Luciole
who, taking off from the aircraft carrier Ark-Royal, will prepare
the arrival of General de Gaulle during the capture of Dakar by
the free French in 1940. After the Liberation, in 1945, the Fireflies
will be used as liaison devices or as target tugs at the Air School
at Salon-de-Provence and will also continue to be used in the Aero-clubs
before be removed faults from spare parts. Today, there are still
a dozen surviving aircrafts, including one belonging to the magnificent
collection of Jean-Baptiste Salis, on the grounds of La Ferte Alais.
