Caudron C.530 Rafale: Difference between revisions

{|{{Infobox aircraft begin

| image=Caudron C530..png

}}{{Infobox aircraft type

| designer=[[Marcel Riffard]]

| first flight=early 1934

The '''Caudron C.530 Rafale''' ({{lang-en|Gust}}) was a [[france|French]] two seat competition aircraft. Only seven were built but they had great success in several contests during 1934.

The C.530 was a [[low wing]] [[cantilever]] [[monoplane]], wood framed and [[aircraft fabric covering|fabric covered]], with a good deal in common with its predecessor and namesake, the [[Caudron C.430 Rafale]], though with a lower [[wing loading]]. Its wing was tapered, round tipped and carried [[flap (aircraft)|split flaps]]. Its [[fuselage]] was flat sided, with a deep, rounded decking running the full length. It had an [[air-cooled engine|air cooled]] {{convert|152|hp|kW|abbr=on|0|order=flip}} Renault Bengali Junior inverted four cylinder [[straight engine|inline engine]] in the nose, driving a two blade, variable [[blade pitch|pitch]] [[propeller (aircraft)|propeller]]. This engine was a version of the [[Renault 4P]] with its compression increased to 6:1 and running at the higher speed of 2,450 rpm. The Rafale's two seats were in tandem, one over the wing and the other just behind the [[trailing edge]], under a long (about a third of the fuselage length), narrow [[aircraft canopy|multi-framed canopy]] with a blunt, vertical windscreen and sliding access. Behind the canopy a long [[aircraft fairing|fairing]] continued its profile to the straight tapered, round tipped vertical tail. The horizontal tail was mounted largely ahead of the [[fin]] on the top of the fuselage.<ref name=Flight34B/>

The Rafale had a fixed [[landing gear|wide track, tailskid undercarriage]]. Its wheels were on vertical, slender [[aerofoil]] section legs from the wings and were largely enclosed within magnesium alloy fairings.<ref name=Flight34B/>

The date of the first flight is not certain but it was certainly flying by 7 June 1934,<ref name=Flight34C/> possibly for the first time.<ref name=afr/> Another six examples built were registered soon after.<ref name=FrReg/>

The C.530 Rafale was intended asa competition aircraft and in 1934 it was very successful. On 8 July Rafales took the first three places in the Angers 12 hour event<ref name=Flight34A/> and later that month filled the top six Esders Cup positions.<ref name=Flight34B/><ref name=Laero34A/> Late in August, one won the Zénith Cup with a flight over the prescribed {{convert|1578|km|mi|abbr=on|0}} course at {{convert|240|km/h|mph|abbr=on|1|}}.<ref name=Laero34B/>

In 1935 two of the C.530s were converted into '''C.660 Rafale'''s, powered by Renault {{convert|180|hp|kW|abbr=on|0|order=flip}} six cylinder inverted inline engines. One of these won that year's Angers 12 hour event.<ref name=FrReg/><ref name=Flight35/>

|eng1 type=4 cylinder, air cooled, inverted [[straight engine|inline]]

|prop name=[[Ratier]], automatic variable [[blade pitch|pitch]], adjustable in flight<ref name=Flight34B/>

|power/mass=

*'''Take-off:''' in {{convert|160|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, at less than {{convert|90|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}

{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|

<ref name=Flight34A>{{cite magazine |date= 19 July 1934 |title=Les Douze Heures d'Angers|magazine= [[Flight International|Flight]]|volume=XXVI|issue=1334 |page=743 |url= http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1934/1934%20-%200741.html }}</ref>

<ref name=Flight34B>{{cite magazine|date=9 August 1934 |title= Racing at Deauville|magazine=[[Flight International|Flight]]|volume=XXVI|issue=1337|page=857|url= http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1934/1934%20-%200805.html }}</ref>

<ref name=Flight34C>{{cite magazine|date=7 June 1934 |title= Vincennes again|magazine=[[Flight International|Flight]]|volume=XXVI|issue=1328|page=807|url= http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1934/1934%20-%200567.html }}</ref>

<ref name=Flight35>{{cite magazine|date=18 July 1935 |title= The Douze Heures d'Angers|magazine=[[Flight International|Flight]]|volume=XXVIII|issue=1386|page=83|url= http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1935/1935%20-2-%200099.html }}</ref>

<ref name=Laero34A>{{cite magazine |date=26 July 1934 |title=L'Aviation Sportive|magazine=L'Aérophile|volume=14 |issue=684 |page=8|url=http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6576049f/f8.image}}</ref>

<ref name=Laero34B>{{cite magazine |date=July 1935 |title=Le Coupe Zénith|magazine=L'Aérophile|volume=42|issue=9|page=267|url=http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6553682n/f21.image}}</ref>

<ref name=GC>{{cite journal |date=8 December 1934 |title=La XIV Exposition Internationale de l'Aéronautique, Paris 1934|journal=Le Génie Civil |volume=CV|issue=23|pages=524–5|url=http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k64853837/f5.image}}</ref>

<ref name=FrReg>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ab-ix.co.uk/f-aaaa.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-03-06 |archive-date=2012-07-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725223830/http://www.ab-ix.co.uk/f-aaaa.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

<ref name=afr>{{cite web |url=http://www.aviafrance.com/caudron-c-530-rafale--aviation-france-9841.htm|title=Caudron C.530 |accessdate=2 March 2015}}</ref>

}}

[[Category:Caudron aircraft|C.530]]

[[Category:1930s French sport aircraft]]

[[Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft]]

[[Category:Low-wing aircraft]]

[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1934]]