Caudron G . 3 The Caudron G . 3 was a single - engined French biplane built by Caudron , widely used in World War I as a reconnaissance aircraft and trainer . In comparison to its competitors , it had a better rate of climb and it was considered especially suitable in mountainous terrain . Development . The Caudron G . 3 was designed by René and Gaston Caudron as a development of their earlier Caudron G . 2 for military use . It first flew in May 1914 at their Le Crotoy aerodrome . The aircraft had a short crew nacelle , with a single engine in the nose of the nacelle , and twin open tailbooms . It was of sesquiplane layout , and used wing warping for lateral control , although this was replaced by conventional ailerons fitted on the upper wing in late production aircraft . Following the outbreak of the First World War , it was ordered in large quantities . The Caudron factories built 1423 aircraft ( 2450 total were built in France ) and it was built under licence in several other countries ( 233 were built in England and 166 were built in Italy ) . The Caudron brothers did not charge a licencing fee for the design , as an act of patriotism . Usually , the G . 3 was not equipped with any weapons , although sometimes light , small calibre machine guns and some hand - released small bombs were fitted to it . It was followed in production by the Caudron G . 4 , which was a twin - engined development . Operational history . The G . 3 equipped Escadrille C . 11 of the French " Aéronautique Militaire " at the outbreak of war , and was well - suited for reconnaissance use , proving tough and reliable . As the war went on however , its low performance and the fact that it was unarmed made it vulnerable in front line service , and so the French withdrew it from front line operations in mid - 1916 . The Australian Flying Corps ( AFC ) operated the G . 3 during the Mesopotamian campaign of 1915 – 16 . The Italians also used the G . 3 for reconnaissance on a wide scale until 1917 , as did the British RFC ( continuing operations until October 1917 ) , who also fitted some with light bombs and machine guns for ground attack . It continued in use as a trainer after ceasing combat operations until after the end of the war . Caudron G . 3 in Chinese hands , namely the air force of Fengtian clique warlords remained in service in training roles until the Mukden Incident , when most of them were captured by Japanese , and their eventual fate is unknown . In 1921 Adrienne Bolland , a French test pilot working for Caudron , flew a G . 3 across the Andes between Argentina and Chile . It was the first flight across that range by a woman . Variants . Most G . 3s were the A . 2 model , used by various airforces for fire spotting on the West front , in Russia and in the Middle East . G . 3 D . 2 was a two - seated trainer aircraft , equipped with dual controls and the E . 2 was a basic trainer . The R . 1 version , which had been developed from the basic version was used by France and by the USA for taxi training , with fabric removed from large areas of the wing to prevent its becoming airborne . The last version , the G . 3 . 12 , was equipped with a more powerful 100 hp Anzani 10 radial engine . In Germany , Gotha built copies of the G . 3 as the LD . 3 and LD . 4 ( " Land Doppeldecker " - " Land Biplane " ) . Survivors . Caudron G . 3s are displayed in several museums , including at the RAF Museum Hendon , the " Musée de l ' Air et de l ' Espace " , Paris , the Royal Army and Military History Museum , Brussels and the Aerospace Museum ( Musal ) , Rio de Janeiro . One aircraft ( 1E . 18 ) is currently being repaired at the Hallinportti Aviation Museum .