The Caudron G.3 was designed by René and Gaston Caudron as a development of their earlier Caudron G.2 for military use. It first flew in May 1914 at their Le Crotoy aerodrome.[2]
The aircraft had a short crew nacelle, with a single engine in the nose of the nacelle, and an open tailboom truss. It was of sesquiplane layout, and used wing warping for lateral control, although this was replaced by conventional ailerons fitted on the upper wing in late production aircraft. Usually, the G.3 was not armed, although sometimes light machine guns and small bombs were fitted.
It was ordered in large quantities following the outbreak of the First World War with the Caudron factories building 1423 of the 2450 built in France. 233 were also built in England and 166 built in Italy along with several other countries. The Caudron brothers did not charge a licensing fee for the design, as an act of patriotism.[2]
It was followed in production by the Caudron G.4, which was a twin-engined development.
Operational history
French operational Caudron G.3
Caudron G.3 operated by the American 800th Aero Squadron as a trainer
Caudron G.3 floatplane trainer in Chinese service
The G.3 equipped Escadrille C.11 of the French Aéronautique Militaire at the outbreak of war, and was well-suited for reconnaissance use, proving stable and having good visibility. As the war progressed, its low performance and lack of armament made it too vulnerable for front line service, and it was withdrawn from front line operations in mid-1916.[2]
The Italians also used the G.3 for reconnaissance on a wide scale until 1917, as did the British RFC (continuing operations until October 1917), who fitted some with light bombs and machine guns for ground attack.[2] The Australian Flying Corps operated the G.3 during the Mesopotamian campaign of 1915–16.
It continued in use as a trainer until well after the end of the war. Chinese Fengtian cliquewarlord Caudron G.3s remained in service as trainers until the Mukden Incident of 1931, when many were captured by the Japanese.
In 1921 Adrienne Bolland, a French test pilot working for Caudron, made the first crossing of the Andes by a woman, flying between Argentina and Chile in a G.3.
Variants
Most G.3s were the A2 model, used by various airforces for artillery spotting on the Western front, in Russia and in the Middle East. The G.3 D2 was a two-seat trainer, equipped with dual controls and the E2 was a basic trainer. The R1 version (rouleur or roller) was used by France and the United States Air Service for taxi training, with the wing trimmed down to prevent its becoming airborne. The last version, the G.3. L2, was equipped with a more powerful 100 hp (75 kW) Anzani 10radial engine. In Germany, Gotha built a few copies of the G.3 as the Gotha LD.3 and Gotha LD.4 (Land Doppeldecker – "Land Biplane").
Survivors
Few Caudron G.3s survived and most of them are displayed in museums:
In France, a replica is currently airworthy at La Ferté Alais, powered by a Walter radial engine.
As of 2017, another airworthy replica of the G.3 was introduced to the collections of the Aviation Museum of Metoděj Vlach in Mladá Boleslav, the Czech Republic. Though a replica visually accurate in dimensions and appearance, it was built on an ultralight basis. The project development began in 2009, and the replica was closely based on a Caudron G.3 displayed in the Musée de l’air et de l’espace in Le Bourget, Paris.[4][5]
^"Collections of airworthy aircraft at the Aviation Museum of Metoděj Vlach in Mladá Boleslav". letecke-muzeum-vetodeje-vlacha.cz. Letecké muzeum Metoděje Vlacha. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
^"Construction on the airworthy Caudron G.3 replica at the Aviation Museum of Metoděj Vlach in Mladá Boleslav (documentary video)". Youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
^Jowett, Philip (2010). Chinese Warlord Armies 1911-30. Osprey Publishing. p. 35. ISBN978-1-84908-402-4.
^Keskinen, Kalevi; Stenman, Kari; Niska, Klaus (1976). Suomen ilmavoimien lentokoneet 1918-1939 (in Finnish). Helsinki: Tietoteos.
Bibliography
Beaubois, Henry (December 1972). "Le Caudron G.III". Le Album de Fanatique de l'Aviation (in French) (39): 15–18. ISSN 0757-4169.
Hagedorn, Daniel P. (1993). Central American and Caribbean Air Forces. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN0-85130-210-6.
Herris, Jack (2013). Gotha Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes. Great War Aviation Centennial Series. Vol. 6. Charleston, South Carolina: Aeronaut Books. ISBN978-1-935881-14-8.
"Venezuela Refurbishes Her Aerial Sombrero". Air Enthusiast. Vol. 5, no. 3. September 1973. pp. 118–124, 150.
Lafille, Jean-Pierre (December 1972). "J'ai piloté le Caudron G.III" [I Flew the Caudron G.III]. Le Album de Fanatique de l'Aviation (in French) (39): 19–20. ISSN 0757-4169.
Further reading
Keskinen, Kalevi; Partonen, Kyösti; Stenman, Kari (2005). Suomen Ilmavoimat 1918-27 : Finnish Air Force. Helsinki: Kustannusliike Kari Stenman. ISBN9529943229.
Hirschauer, Louis; Dollfus, Charles, eds. (1920). L'Année Aéronautique: 1919-1920. Paris: Dunod. p. 17.
Hirschauer, Louis; Dollfus, Charles, eds. (1921). L'Année Aéronautique: 1920-1921. Paris: Dunod. p. 23.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Caudron G.3.
Caudron G.3 (airminded.net)
Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome's Caudron G.III page
February 04, 2023
caudron, single, engined, french, sesquiplane, built, caudron, widely, used, world, reconnaissance, aircraft, trainer, french, role, reconnaissance, aircraftmanufacturer, caudronfirst, flight, late, 1913, introduction, 1914, primary, users, aéronautique, milit. The Caudron G 3 was a single engined French sesquiplane built by Caudron widely used in World War I as a reconnaissance aircraft and trainer Caudron G 3French Caudron G 3Role Reconnaissance aircraftManufacturer CaudronFirst flight Late 1913 1 Introduction 1914 1 Primary users Aeronautique MilitaireUS Army Air ServiceFinnish Air ForcePolish Air ForceDeveloped from Caudron G 2 Contents 1 Development 2 Operational history 3 Variants 4 Survivors 5 Replicas 6 Operators 7 Specifications G 3 8 See also 9 References 10 Bibliography 11 Further reading 12 External linksDevelopment EditThe Caudron G 3 was designed by Rene and Gaston Caudron as a development of their earlier Caudron G 2 for military use It first flew in May 1914 at their Le Crotoy aerodrome 2 The aircraft had a short crew nacelle with a single engine in the nose of the nacelle and an open tailboom truss It was of sesquiplane layout and used wing warping for lateral control although this was replaced by conventional ailerons fitted on the upper wing in late production aircraft Usually the G 3 was not armed although sometimes light machine guns and small bombs were fitted It was ordered in large quantities following the outbreak of the First World War with the Caudron factories building 1423 of the 2450 built in France 233 were also built in England and 166 built in Italy along with several other countries The Caudron brothers did not charge a licensing fee for the design as an act of patriotism 2 It was followed in production by the Caudron G 4 which was a twin engined development Operational history Edit French operational Caudron G 3 Caudron G 3 operated by the American 800th Aero Squadron as a trainer Caudron G 3 floatplane trainer in Chinese service The G 3 equipped Escadrille C 11 of the French Aeronautique Militaire at the outbreak of war and was well suited for reconnaissance use proving stable and having good visibility As the war progressed its low performance and lack of armament made it too vulnerable for front line service and it was withdrawn from front line operations in mid 1916 2 The Italians also used the G 3 for reconnaissance on a wide scale until 1917 as did the British RFC continuing operations until October 1917 who fitted some with light bombs and machine guns for ground attack 2 The Australian Flying Corps operated the G 3 during the Mesopotamian campaign of 1915 16 It continued in use as a trainer until well after the end of the war Chinese Fengtian clique warlord Caudron G 3s remained in service as trainers until the Mukden Incident of 1931 when many were captured by the Japanese In 1921 Adrienne Bolland a French test pilot working for Caudron made the first crossing of the Andes by a woman flying between Argentina and Chile in a G 3 Variants EditMost G 3s were the A2 model used by various airforces for artillery spotting on the Western front in Russia and in the Middle East The G 3 D2 was a two seat trainer equipped with dual controls and the E2 was a basic trainer The R1 version rouleur or roller was used by France and the United States Air Service for taxi training with the wing trimmed down to prevent its becoming airborne The last version the G 3 L2 was equipped with a more powerful 100 hp 75 kW Anzani 10 radial engine In Germany Gotha built a few copies of the G 3 as the Gotha LD 3 and Gotha LD 4 Land Doppeldecker Land Biplane Survivors EditFew Caudron G 3s survived and most of them are displayed in museums one restored as s n 324 at the Musee de l Air et de l Espace Paris one restored as s n 2531 at the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces Brussels one restored as 1E18 at the Hallinportti Aviation Museum in Finland one restored as 3066 at the RAF Museum Hendon one restored at the Museu Aeroespacial of Rio de Janeiro one rebuilt from original parts displayed in the Museum of Maracai in Venezuela including One Caudron G 3 is part of a private collection in France but unrestored Replicas EditA Caudron G 3 replica is part of the rotary engined contingent of accurately built vintage aircraft reproductions at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome living aviation museum in Rhinebeck New York 3 In France a replica is currently airworthy at La Ferte Alais powered by a Walter radial engine As of 2017 another airworthy replica of the G 3 was introduced to the collections of the Aviation Museum of Metodej Vlach in Mlada Boleslav the Czech Republic Though a replica visually accurate in dimensions and appearance it was built on an ultralight basis The project development began in 2009 and the replica was closely based on a Caudron G 3 displayed in the Musee de l air et de l espace in Le Bourget Paris 4 5 Operators Edit Caudron G 3 in the Airspace Museum Museu Aeroespacial in Rio de Janeiro A Caudron G 3 E2 one of the first aircraft of the Colombian Air Force Argentina Argentine Air Force AustraliaMesopotamian Half Flight Central Flying School AFC at Point Cook Victoria Belgium Belgian Air Force BrazilBrazilian Air Force ChinaRepublic of China Air Force Purchased 12 from France in 1913 6 Colombia Colombian Air Force Three aircraft became Colombia s first military aircraft Denmark Royal Danish Air Force El Salvador Air Force of El Salvador Three aircraft 7 Finland Finnish Air Force 12 from France in 1920 six built in Finland by Santahaminan ilmailutelakka from 1921 to 1923 One from Flyg Aktiebolaget in 1923 Withdrawn 1924 Nicknamed Tutankhamon Caudron G 3 replica in Museo del Aire Madrid FranceFrench Air Force Operated by 38 escadrilles 1 Greece Hellenic Air Force GuatemalaGuatemalan Air Force 8 Kingdom of HejazHejaz Air Force built in Italy HondurasHonduran Air Force 9 Kingdom of ItalyCorpo Aeronautico Militare JapanImperial Japanese Army Air Service PeruPeruvian Air Force One aircraft only Portugal Portuguese Air Force Poland Polish Air Force Romania Romanian Air Corps Russia Imperial Russian Air Force SerbiaSerbian Air Force and Air Defense Kingdom of SpainSpanish Air Force Eighteen bought in 1919 for training at Getafe Seville and Los Alcazares replaced by Avro 504Ks in 1924 Soviet Union Soviet Air Force ex Imperial Russian Air Force Turkey Turkish Air Force Postwar United Kingdom Caudron G 3 at the Royal Air Force Museum London Royal Flying Corps No 1 Squadron RFC No 4 Squadron RFC No 5 Squadron RFC No 19 Squadron RFC No 23 Squadron RFC No 25 Squadron RFC No 29 Squadron RFC Royal Naval Air Service operated 140 primarily as trainers 10 United StatesAmerican Expeditionary Force United States Army Air Service Venezuela Venezuelan Air Force 11 Specifications G 3 Edit Caudron G 3 drawing Data from Suomen ilmavoimien lentokoneet 1918 1939 12 General characteristicsCrew 1 Length 6 4 m 21 ft 0 in Wingspan 13 4 m 44 ft 0 in Height 2 5 m 8 ft 2 in Wing area 27 m2 290 sq ft Empty weight 420 kg 926 lb Max takeoff weight 710 kg 1 565 lb Powerplant 1 Le Rhone 9C 9 cylinder air cooled rotary piston engine 60 kW 80 hp Propellers 2 bladed fixed pitch propellerPerformance Maximum speed 106 km h 66 mph 57 kn Endurance 4 hours Service ceiling 4 300 m 14 100 ft 2 Armament Guns One light machine gun optional Bombs hand released bombs optional See also Edit Aviation portalRelated development Caudron G 4 Caudron R 4 Caudron R 11References Edit a b c Holmes Tony 2005 Jane s Vintage Aircraft Recognition Guide London Harper Collins p 26 ISBN 0 00 719292 4 a b c d e Donald David ed 1997 The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft Aerospace Publishing p 233 ISBN 1 85605 375 X 2014 archived Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome website detail page about their Caudron G 3 reproduction Collections of airworthy aircraft at the Aviation Museum of Metodej Vlach in Mlada Boleslav letecke muzeum vetodeje vlacha cz Letecke muzeum Metodeje Vlacha Retrieved 22 March 2020 Construction on the airworthy Caudron G 3 replica at the Aviation Museum of Metodej Vlach in Mlada Boleslav documentary video Youtube com Archived from the original on 2021 12 14 Retrieved 22 March 2020 Jowett Philip 2010 Chinese Warlord Armies 1911 30 Osprey Publishing p 35 ISBN 978 1 84908 402 4 Hagedorn 1993 pp 79 81 Hagedorn 1993 p 49 Hagedorn 1993 p 64 Thetford Owen 1994 British Naval Aircraft Since 1912 London Putnam p 415 ISBN 0 85177 861 5 Air International September 1973 pp 118 119 Keskinen Kalevi Stenman Kari Niska Klaus 1976 Suomen ilmavoimien lentokoneet 1918 1939 in Finnish Helsinki Tietoteos Bibliography EditBeaubois Henry December 1972 Le Caudron G III Le Album de Fanatique de l Aviation in French 39 15 18 ISSN 0757 4169 Hagedorn Daniel P 1993 Central American and Caribbean Air Forces Tonbridge Kent UK Air Britain Historians Ltd ISBN 0 85130 210 6 Herris Jack 2013 Gotha Aircraft of WWI A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes Great War Aviation Centennial Series Vol 6 Charleston South Carolina Aeronaut Books ISBN 978 1 935881 14 8 Venezuela Refurbishes Her Aerial Sombrero Air Enthusiast Vol 5 no 3 September 1973 pp 118 124 150 Lafille Jean Pierre December 1972 J ai pilote le Caudron G III I Flew the Caudron G III Le Album de Fanatique de l Aviation in French 39 19 20 ISSN 0757 4169 Further reading EditKeskinen Kalevi Partonen Kyosti Stenman Kari 2005 Suomen Ilmavoimat 1918 27 Finnish Air Force Helsinki Kustannusliike Kari Stenman ISBN 9529943229 Hirschauer Louis Dollfus Charles eds 1920 L Annee Aeronautique 1919 1920 Paris Dunod p 17 Hirschauer Louis Dollfus Charles eds 1921 L Annee Aeronautique 1920 1921 Paris Dunod p 23 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Caudron G 3 Caudron G 3 airminded net RAF Museum Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome s Caudron G III page Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Caudron G 3 amp oldid 1132146581, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
