CAMS 37

__NOTOC__ Infobox Aircraft
name=37


caption=
type=Reconnaissance flying boat
manufacturer=CAMS
designer=Maurice Hurel
first flight=1926
introduced=
retired=
status=
primary user=French Navy
more users=
produced=
number built=ca. 80
variants with their own articles=

The CAMS 37 was a flying boat built in France in the mid 1920s that was originally designed for military reconnaissance, but which found use in a wide variety of roles in a large number of versions. It was the first design for Chantiers Aéro-Maritimes de la Seine (CAMS) by the company's new head designer, Maurice Hurel. The prototype was displayed at the 1926 "Salon de l'Aéronautique" in Paris. The prototype first flew in 1926, and after testing was ordered into service before the end of the year cite book |last= Green |first=William |title=Warplanes of the Second World War, Volume Five, Flying Boats |year= 1968|publisher= Macdonald|location=London|pages= p.15-17 |isbn= 356 01449 5 ] . It was a conventional biplane flying boat very similar to previous CAMS designs, being driven by a pusher propeller whose engine was mounted on struts in the interplane gap. The first production version was the amphibious CAMS 37A that was bought by the French Navy, the Portuguese government, and the aeroclub of Martinique.

The aircraft became something of a jack-of-all-trades for the French Navy, operating from every Naval Air Station and from many capital ships. Some of the type's most significant moments were trials conducted by "Compagnie Générale Transatlantique" on the SS "Île de France" to evaluate the feasibility of catapult-launched mailplanes for their transatlantic liners using two specially-built 37/10s. Another famous use of the aircraft was on René Guilbaud's long range flight through Africa and the Mediterranean between 12 October 1927 and 9 March 1927, venturing as far as Madagascar before returning to Marseille. In the course of the flight, he covered 22,600 km (14,000 miles) in 38 stages without incident.

The CAMS 37 was gradually phased out of operational service in the mid to late 1930s, and by the time World War II started in September 1939, the aircraft had been relegated to training and communication roles. On mobilisation, however, CAMS 37/11 trainers were used by two units for coastal patrol, with one unit, "Escadrille" 2S2 continuing in service until August 1940. Outside mainland France, CAMS 37/11 trainers continued in use with a Free French unit in Tahiti until 15 January 1941, and with a Vichy France unit in Indochina until 1942

Variants

* 37 - prototype (1 built)
* 37A - amphibious version (24 built)
* 37/2 - pure flying boat version incorporating refinements from 37A amphibian (ca. 50 built)
* 37A/3 - reinforced hull
* 37A/6 - enclosed cabin admiral's barge for French Navy (3 built)
* 37A/7 - (or 37Lia) liaison amphibian
* 37A/9 - metal-hulled officer transport for French Navy
* 37/10 - version for catapult trials (2 built)
* 37/11 - trainer version
* 37/12 - civil version with enclosed four-seat cabin (1 built)
* 37/13 - (or 37bis) metal-hulled version for catapult launching from ships
* 37C - (or 37GR) long-distance version (1 built)

Operators

;FRA
*Aviation Navale;POR
*Portuguese Naval Aviation

pecifications (37/2)

aerospecs
met or eng?= met

crew=Three
capacity=
length m=11.43
length ft=37
length in=6
span m=14.50
span ft=47
span in=7
swept m=
swept ft=
swept in=
rot number=
rot dia m=
rot dia ft=
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dia m=
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width m=
width ft=
width in=
height m=4.20
height ft=13
height in=9
wing area sqm=59.9
wing area sqft=644
swept area sqm=
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rot area sqm=
rot area sqft=
volume m3=
volume ft3=
aspect ratio=
empty weight kg=2,170
empty weight lb=4,784
gross weight kg=3,000
gross weight lb=6,614
lift kg=
lift lb=

eng1 number=1
eng1 type=Lorraine 12Ed
eng1 kw= 336
eng1 hp= 450
eng1 kn=
eng1 lbf=
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eng1 lbf-ab=
eng2 number=
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max speed kmh=185
max speed mph=115
max speed mach=
cruise speed kmh=
cruise speed mph=
range km=1,200
range miles=748
endurance h=
endurance min=
ceiling m=3,500
ceiling ft=11,480
glide ratio=
climb rate ms=
climb rate ftmin=
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armament1=2 × trainable .303 Lewis gun in bow position
armament2=2 × trainable .303 Lewis gun in dorsal position
armament3=300 kg (660 lb) of bombs carried under lower wing
armament4=
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References

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* [http://www.aviafrance.com/7975.htm aviafrance.com]

ee also

aircontent

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sequence=
* ← 32 - 33 - 36 - 37 - 38 - 46 - 50 →

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