Following the success of the CAMS 37 project, designers at Chantiers Aeromaritimes de la Seine (CAMS) aimed for similar achievements by developing a heavy multi-purpose flying boat based on the CAMS 33. This new flying boat, equipped with two Gnôme & Rhône engines producing 480 hp, was designed in 1926 and designated CAMS 50. The project envisioned several modifications, including reconnaissance, patrol, bomber, and transport variants.
The CAMS 50 prototype was showcased at the Paris Air Show in December 1926. However, it did not proceed to flight tests, as it was decided to continue refining the design in subsequent projects: the CAMS 51, 53, and 56.
Development and Origins
By late 1926, the factory in Saint-Denis completed the assembly of two CAMS 51 prototypes. These included the 51 R3 (001), a military multi-purpose flying boat, and the 51 C “commercial” (002), a civilian transport version designed for three to five passengers. The first flight of the CAMS 51 R3 (001) took place at the end of that same year.
Military and Civilian Variants
After replacing its engines with Gnôme & Rhône Jupiter 9 Akx (480 hp) and receiving registration F-AIMS, the CAMS 51 R3 (001) was used in 1928 for various experimental flights over the Atlantic. The flying boat subsequently flew to a base in Senegal, where it was lost in a storm.
The CAMS 51 C (002), after installing Gnôme & Rhône Jupiter engines (480 hp) and additional fuel tanks, was converted into a long-range flying boat. On this aircraft, with registration F-AIMZ, Paulin Paris set a new world altitude record for heavy flying boats on August 18, 1927, ascending to 4634 meters.
Achievements and Operational Service
Two months after his altitude record, Paulin Paris undertook a flight from Berre to Beirut, covering 2300 kilometers in 26 hours. In 1928, the CAMS 51 C was transferred to the port of Saint-Louis in Senegal, where it operated until 1933, flying between Saint-Louis and the Cape Verde Islands.
Technical Specifications
| Modification | CAMS 51R3 |
| Wingspan, m | 20.40 |
| Length, m | 13.78 |
| Height, m | 5.00 |
| Wing area, m2 | 115.00 |
| Empty weight | 3300 |
| Maximum takeoff weight | 5200 |
| Engine type | 2 Piston engine Gnome-Rhone 9Aa |
| Power, hp | 2 x 380 |
| Maximum speed, km/h | 216 |
| Cruising speed, km/h | 180 |
| Practical range, km | 900 |
| Practical ceiling, m | 5000 |
| Crew, crew members | 3 |
| Armament: | two 7.7-mm Lewis machine guns, two light torpedoes or 4 x 150 kg bombs |
Image gallery of the CAMS 51
