GARY L. SMITH COLLECTION
No. 8922. Caudron G.3 (c/n 6656) French Air Force
Aeroplane Photo Supply (APS) Photo No. 703

Caudron G.3

05/31/2009. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "After the demonstration flights by Wilbur Wright in France in August 1908, the bothers Gaston and René Caudron established the Aéroplanes Caudron Frères (Caudron Brothers Aircraft) and built their first aircraft at the family farm in Romiotte, Somme, France. Intended to be powered by two Farcot engines, the large biplane was eventually flown as a glider over the dunes of Le Crotoy (4 mls, 6.5 km to the west of Romiotte) in March 1909, being launched from a cart pulled by the merry Luciole.

The second aircraft was a small biplane powered by a 25 hp Anzani three-cylinder, built in eleven weeks it flew for the first time on September 21, 1909. In mid-1910 the flying activities were transferred to Le Crotoy, where the Caudron brothers also established a flying school, using the foreshore as flying ground, while they also established a factory at Rue, 4 mls (6.5 km) to the north of Le Crotoy. By early 1914 they had produced 113 bi- and monoplanes of twenty types.

In May 1914 the G.3 two-seat sesquiplane appeared, which became a classic type of the era. Caudron produced 1,423 G.3s at new factories at Lyon and Issy-les-Moulineaux, under license another 1,027 were built in France, 233 in the UK and 166 in Italy, while in 1922 to 1924 Portugal produced 50 aircraft. Initially used for reconnaissance, artillery-spotting and other first-line duties, the G.3 eventually became the standard trainer, an estimated 17,000 pilots had their initial training on the type, that was used in 21 countries of all five continents."


Created May 31, 2009