Caudron C.690 Explained
The Caudron C.690 was a single-seat training aircraft developed in France in the late 1930s to train fighter pilots to handle high-performance aircraft. It was a conventional low-wing cantilever monoplane that bore a strong resemblance to designer Marcel Riffard's racer designs of the same period. Caudron attempted to attract overseas sales for the aircraft, but this resulted in orders for only two machines - one from Japan, and the other from the USSR. In the meantime, the first of two prototypes was destroyed in a crash that killed René Paulhan, Caudron's chief test pilot.
Despite this, the Armée de l'Air eventually showed interest in the type, and ordered a batch of a slightly refined design. The first of these was not delivered until April 1939, and only 15 C.690Ms were supplied before the outbreak of war.
Variants
- C.690: Single-seat fighter trainer aircraft. Four aircraft built.
C.690M: Slightly refined version for the Armee de l'Air. Only 15 aircraft were built.
Operators
Bibliography
- Cony. Christophe. Un pur-sang d'entraînement pour l'Armée de l'Air: Le Caudron C.690 . Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire . December 2000 . 93 . 19–24 . A Pure-blooded Trainer for the French Air Force . fr . 1243-8650.
- Cony. Christophe. Un pur-sang d'entraînement pour l'Armée de l'Air: Le Caudron C.690 . Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire . January 2001 . 94 . 17–22 . fr . 1243-8650.
- Kotelnikov. V.. Kulikov. V.. Cony. C.. amp . Les avions français en URSS, 1921–1941 . Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire . November 2001 . 104 . 37–43 . French Aircraft in the USSR, 1921–1941 . fr . 1243-8650.
- Mihaly. Edouard. Montures pour apprentis chasseurs... les Caudron-Renault d'entrainment, partie 1. Le Fana de l'Aviation . January 1978 . 98 . 8–13 . 0757-4169 . fr . Mounts for Trainee Fighters... the Caudron-Renault Trainers, Part One.
- Mihaly. Edouard. Montures pour apprentis chasseurs... les Caudron-Renault d'entrainment, partie 2. Le Fana de l'Aviation . February 1978 . 99 . 10–13 . 0757-4169 . fr . Mounts for Trainee Fighters... the Caudron-Renault Trainers, Part Two.
- Mihaly. Edouard. Les Caudron-Renault d'entrainment (3). Le Fanatique de l'Aviation . March 1978 . 100 . 20–24 . fr .
Further reading
- Book: Taylor, Michael J. H. . Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation . 1989 . Studio Editions . London . 240 .
- Book: World Aircraft Information Files . Bright Star Publishing. London . File 891 Sheet 16 .