| Caudron C.97 | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | Trainer |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Caudron |
| History | |
| First flight | early 1924 |
TheCaudron C.97 was a two-seatbiplanetrainer designed and built inFrance around 1924. A number were used by theBolivian Air Force.
Rather little information has survived on the C.97.[1] Although it looked very similar to theCaudron C.59 and used the same engine, it is not on a list of eight other Caudron designs which shared the latter'sairframe.[2] The C.97 was atwo baybiplane withoutstagger and with pairs of parallelinterplane struts andcabane struts. Itsfabric covered, unequal span wings were rectangular in plan apart from a large central cut-out over thefuselage to improve upward vision from the rearcockpit.Ailerons were fitted to the upper wing.[1]
Its fuselage was flat sided. An upright, water-cooledHispano-Suiza 8AbV-8 engine, a relatively high compression engine developed duringWorld War I as aircraft flew to higher altitudes[3] and so able to cope with the highAndean airfields ofBolivia, sat high in the nose with the fuselage underside curving upwards under it and with a flat fronted, angledcowling above thepropeller shaft. Two differentradiators were used, one of the cylindricalLamblin type mounted below the fuselage and the other a shallow but wide rectangular one on the underside. The forward open cockpit was close behind the engine and under the wing, with the instructor's position slightly behind thetrailing edge. At the rear thefin was triangular and broad, with a straight edgedrudder that reached down to the keel. Since thetailplane was mounted on top of the fuselage, theelevators had a large cut-out for rudder movement.[1]
The C.97 had a fixedtail skid undercarriage with its mainwheels on a single axle sprung from V-formstruts to the lower fuselagelongerons.[1]
The first flight was probably made in early 1924 as the prototype was registeredF-AGBH in April that year.[4] The first Bolivian Air Force machine was delivered on 1 August 1925.[1] The number purchased is not known;L'Aéronautique in 1927 mentions just one[5] butFlight in 1928 says "a number".[6] One C.97 was used from mid-1926 by the French-South American Company, based inBuenos Aires inArgentina.[7] The privately ownedF-AGBH flew in France until 1926, taking part in competitions like the 1924Concours Aviation de Tourisme de l'Aéro-Club de France (aviation touring competition of the French Aéro-Club).[4][8] It was next owned by theCompagnie Française d'Aviation until about 1930, when it was exported toArgentina.[4]
Data from Hauet (2001) p.186[1]
General characteristics
Performance
