From 1920, the French firm Chantiers Aeromaritimes de la Seine (CAMS) began manufacturing Italian Savoia S-9, S-13, and S-16 flying boats. After a couple of years, having accumulated sufficient experience, the firm’s designer, Rafaele Conflenti, proposed his own flying boat project, named CAMS 30. This was a two-seater training flying boat, still heavily influenced by Savoia designs.
Development and Initial Evaluation
The CAMS 30 prototype was demonstrated at the Paris Air Show in December 1922, and its first flight took place the following month. After factory tests, completed in March 1923, the aircraft was handed over to the military for evaluation at the Saint-Raphael center. Receiving a favorable assessment from the Navy, the firm secured a contract for the production of twenty flying boats for the training center in Berre.
Naval Service and Replacement
All production CAMS 30E units were delivered to the Navy in 1924. However, they were soon replaced by F.B.A. type 17 HE2 flying boats. The reason for this replacement was negative feedback from training center cadets, who specifically noted the aircraft’s low flight speed and difficult handling.
Export Orders and Transport Variant
Despite these issues, in 1924, two foreign orders were placed for the CAMS 30E. Two units were purchased by Poland, and then Serbia ordered an additional six.
Hoping for further orders, the company developed a four-seater transport version of the flying boat, powered by a 180 hp Hispano-Suiza 8Ab engine. This boat, designated CAMS 30T, was built as a single example, receiving registration number F-AGCI, and was used for flights on the Saint-Denis – Sartrouville line. In the same year, 1924, pilot Bourri attempted to break the world speed record for seaplanes in the CAMS 30T, covering 500 kilometers at an average speed of 123.94 km/h.
Technical Specifications
| Modification | CAMS 30E |
| Wingspan, m | 12.40 |
| Length, m | 9.80 |
| Height, m | 3.12 |
| Wing area, m2 | 43.00 |
| Empty weight | 885 |
| Maximum takeoff weight | 1 180 |
| Engine type | 1 Piston engine Hispano-Suiza 8Aa |
| Power, hp | 1 x 150 |
| Maximum speed, km/h | 154 |
| Cruising speed, km/h | 120 |
| Crew | 2 |
Image gallery of the CAMS 30
