Almost 80 years ago, polish pilots on Caudron Renault CR. 714 Cyclone fighter jet fought to defend Paris with courage, dedication and faith in the rightness of the cause. Today, owing to ATMAT in collaboration with Polish Aviation Museum in Cracow, one of the two preserved machines of this type in the world, will be reconstructed, to bring the past closer and to prevent people from forgetting it.
Caudron CR. 714 is a light, French plane with a construction made out of wood. Despite its unquestionable advantages, which were the low price of production and fair performance, the plane turned out to be useless for fighter aviation – the engine applied in the model had too little power and did not provide enough climb speed, what made vertical manoeuvres difficult. In 1940 French Minister of Aviation issued a decree prohibiting flying on Caudron.
Still, neither did disadvantages of the plane nor the prohibition prevent polish pilots from being victorious behind the Caudron's stick. Warsaw squadron I/145, equipped only with this kind of plane models, from 8th to 11th of June 1940, shot 12 german machines down - four Dornier Do-17 bombers and eight Messerschmitt fighters.
Currently, only two copies of that model remained – the first one located in France, whereas the second one, after many years of effort, fell from Päijänne Tavastia Aviation Museum into the hands of Polish Aviation Museum in Cracow. Caudron is in a good technical shape, however with certain deficiencies - for example, an engine bottom dripping and propellor and equipping the cockpit.
The legendary plane undoubtedly needs a reconstruction of missing elements – recreating it is possible thanks to 3D technology. Precise and economic, 3D printing enables printing of the smallest parts, which attempt of restoring in other conditions would not only be very expensive and time-consuming but often highly impossible.
To reconstruct destroyed and missing parts of Caudron, large-size ATMAT Jupiter and ATMAT Saturn printers were used. Thus the propeller of the plane, hub, hub and blades connector and engine housing were created.
The visitors will have a unique chance to marvel at Caudron on display during The 3D Printing Days at Kielce – perfectly restored propellor of Caudron and other, small or big and simple or complicated, however, all printed elements of the machine are to be presented there once completed.
After the event, the plane will remain under reconstruction, and elements printed by that time will undergo postprocessing. The final, completed version of Caudron Cr. 714 will be exhibited in Polish Aviation Museum in Cracow, where it will remind of heroic deeds of Poles, who once formed the course of the history.