Caudron C.630 Simoun

Initial Design and Features

The Caudron C.630 Simoun, designed by Marcel Riffard in the 1930s, was an outstanding four-seater touring monoplane, noted for its enhanced reliability and comfort. Its predecessor, the C.620 Simoun VI, was exhibited in Paris alongside the C.500 Simoun IV.

Intended for touring aircraft competitions, the C.630 offered comfortable seats, a large windscreen, and three spacious portholes on each side of the cabin. These features provided a considerable advantage over the more conventional layout and narrower windows of the C.500 Simoun IV.

The C.630, which subsequently appeared on the market, was an elegant, wooden cantilever low-wing monoplane. Its wing featured glued plywood skinning, while the integrated flaps, spanning the entire trailing edge between the ailerons, were fabric-covered.

The tall, slender fuselage was skinned with light alloys on its streamlined sides and crown. The fixed tricycle landing gear comprised cantilever main struts with oil-pneumatic shock absorbers, with the struts, main wheels, and steerable tailwheel all enclosed in fairings. Differential brakes were used in its standard configuration.

The aircraft’s prototype, powered by a 170 hp Renault Bengali 6Pfi engine, first took to the skies in October 1934. Just a few months later, by mid-1935, deliveries of the C.630 series began, featuring a 180 hp Renault 6Pri (or 6Q-07) engine driving a constant-speed Ratier metal propeller.

The new aircraft immediately gained approval, leading to orders for approximately 70 private touring planes. In civil aviation, twelve C.630s were part of France’s first regular airmail services. Each sported a blue livery with a silver arrow along the fuselage and belonged to Air Bleu, an Air France subsidiary.

Military Adoption and Series Production

Among the many variants that followed the C.630, only the C.635 model, powered by a 220 hp Renault Bengali 6Q-09 or 6Q-15 engine, was built in significant quantities. Five of these aircraft, in a distinctive red livery, were part of the French VIP squadron.

In 1935, the French Armed Forces placed an initial order for the military version, the C.635M, comprising 110 for the Air Force and 29 for naval aviation. Subsequent orders followed, and Simoun aircraft were widely utilized for liaison, transport, and training purposes.

They also served for pilot retraining or navigator instruction. Of the 103 aircraft captured by the Germans in November 1942, 65 were pressed into service for training and liaison roles.

Record Flights and Legacy

Many renowned French pilots of the 1930s utilized Simoun aircraft for long-distance flights. Among the successful were Genin and Robert, who flew a C.635 dubbed “Gody Radio,” departing Le Bourget on December 18, 1935, and landing in Antananarivo, Madagascar, 57 hours and 36 minutes later, covering 8665 km.

Marie Bastie, on December 12, 1936, solo-piloted her C.635 “Jean Mermoz” from Orly, reaching Dakar in West Africa by December 19. She then crossed the South Atlantic, landing in Natal, Brazil, covering 3100 km at an average speed of 264 km/h, surpassing the previous record set by Jean Batten of New Zealand.

In another solo flight in August 1937, Maryse Hilsz flew from France to Saigon in four days. However, other more famous aviators were less fortunate. In a second attempt to reach Tokyo from Paris, Marcel Doret and his partner Micheletti made an emergency landing in Japan, sustaining severe injuries. The great aviator and poet Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, during a 1937 flight from New York to Tierra del Fuego, crashed on takeoff in Guatemala City and was seriously injured. Despite these incidents, many Simoun aircraft continued to fly in the post-war years.

In addition to the above, several other modifications of the aircraft were produced. The C.630 was the initial production series version with a 180 hp Renault Bengali 6Pri engine (20 aircraft built). The C.631 was an aircraft with a Bengali 6Q-01 engine (3 aircraft built). The C.632 was similar to the C.631 (1 aircraft built). The C.633 featured a modified fuselage and a Bengali 6Q-07 engine (6 aircraft built). The C.634 had a modified wing, increased takeoff weight, and a Bengali 6Q-01 or 6Q-09 engine (3 aircraft built).

The C.635 featured a revised cockpit layout and a Bengali 6Q-01 or 6Q-09 engine (46 C.635 aircraft built). Finally, the C.635M was a military version of the C.635 with military equipment, minor modifications, and a Bengali 6Q-09 or 6Q-15 engine (488 aircraft built).

Technical Specifications

Modification	C.635
Wingspan, m	10.40
Length, m	8.70
Height, m	2.25
Empty weight	855
Maximum takeoff weight	1 330
Engine type	1 Piston engine Renault 6Q-01
Power, hp	1 x 220
Maximum speed, km/h	310
Cruising speed, km/h	280
Practical range, km	1125
Practical ceiling, m	7300
Crew, crew members	1
Payload:	3 passengers

Image and diagram gallery of the Caudron C.630 Simoun

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