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Posted 4/30/2009 @ 6:25:00 am by pilotornot.com
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Caudron C460
This is my 1:4 scale R/C replica of the French racer that dominated the 1936 National Air Races in Los Angeles. As one of the first racers to use a variable pitch prop, split flaps, and retractable landing gear, it easily outflew the competition in both the Thompson Trophy and Greve races. The pilot, Michel Detroyat (a.k.a. "The Falcon of France") , a French aerobatic pilot, became the first and only foreign pilot to ever win the Thompson Trophy.
The inspiration for this project came to me one day while flipping through a Cleveland Model and Supply catalog. I was looking for a subject for my first scratch built Giant Scale model. I turned the page and saw an artist's sketch of the Caudron C460. At that moment, something went off in my head telling me to build this plane. Once I started my research and saw an actual photo of the plane, I knew this was it. I am infatuated with Race planes of the '30s, and the sleek lines of the Caudron made it look like it was going 100mph standing still.
As I continued to dig deeper into the history of the plane, I found the amount of new (for the day) technology utilized on this plane was unprecedented. The Ratier ground adjustable 2 pitch propeller had never been seen on a race plane in the United States. It was set using high pressure air on the ground to "hold" it in low pitch position for short takeoffs, then once airborne and at sufficient speed the pilot would release the pressure using a hand valve and the blades would move to coarse pitch. Because the process was not reversible in flight, this gave the plane a very high landing speed, thus the Split Flaps, also not seen on a racer previously. With the added drag reduction of retractable landing gear the Caudron was unmatched. Detroyat outpaced the 2nd place craft of Earl Ortman, the Rider R3, by 16mph at a record setting 264.2mph. Ironically, the Caudron showed up at the races with two engines, a 330 hp version for the Greve race and a 380 hp version for the Thompson Trophy, which was never installed !
This project took more than 7 years to complete. Working in my spare time, while at the same time acquiring my Private Pilot's License and building a massive deck on my house. I just completed it last fall and am presently preparing for some taxi tests in the very near future.
Would it be possible to have your plans ? I'm also thinking about building a Caudron C460 myself.
Thanks,
-Paul