Caproni Ca.1

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Caproni Ca.1
Role Bomber
Manufacturer Caproni
Designer Gianni Caproni
First flight see table
Introduction July 1915 [1]
Primary users Italy
France
Number built see table
Wingspan 22.2 m (72 ft 10 in)[2]
Engine see table
Armament nose flexible MG and
rear flexible MG
270 kg (605 lb)[3] of bombs
Max Speed see table
Climb see table

The first Caproni Ca.1 or Ca.31 was a twin-boomed pusher was originally powered by 80hp Gnome engines at the front of each boom and a third as a pusher at the back of the central nacelle.

Production machines used 3×100hp Fiat A-10 engines instead. [4][2] Hence, the name Ca.300 is sometimes used to refer to these 300hp aeroplanes.[1]

Davilla says the Ca.32 factory designation was used for all of the production units with the triple 100hp Fiat A-10 engine.[5] Others apply that factory designation instead to the Caproni Ca.2[citation needed].

Twelve 300hp machines were in the first production order, but delays in manufacturing and engine delivery pushed delivery dates back to July through October 1915. They proved themselves in combat, though, and a second order arrived for twelve, then 36, then 150. In total 150 were built, with deliveries stretching well into the first half of 1916.[5]

French Production

When in 1915 the French still had no good native design for a heavy bomber, they turned to license-built Capronis as a solution. They were constructed by R.E.P. and these were labeled "C.E.P." aeroplanes, which stood for "Caproni Esnault Pelterie". Later, some Italian-built Capronis were purchased, and their designation was "C.A.P.", resulting in the Caproni Ca.1 being named the CAP.1 B2.

The French-built Caproni 1s were powered by a variety of engine combinations, but eventually it was settled on a 130hp Canton-Unné pusher and two 80hp Le Rhônes, which was inadequate for a bomber of this size. Only fourteen were built and they probably were used only for evaluation and experimentation rather than front-line service use, since the improved C.E.P.2 was preferred. [6]


VariantEnginesSpeedClimbEnduranceNumber BuiltFirst Flight
Prototype 2×80hp Gnome rotary
+ 90hp Curtiss[citation needed] or 100hp Gnome rotary[2]
110 km/h (68 mph)[2] 1,000 m (3,280 ft) in 15:00[2]
2,000 m (6,560 ft) in 30:00[2]
  1[5] Oct 1914 [2]
Production 3×100hp Fiat A-10 inline[2] 115 km/h (71 mph)[5] 2,000 m (6,560 ft) in 22:45[5]   149[5] Jul 1915[5]
French C.E.P.1 2×80hp Le Rhône rotary
+ 1×130hp Canton-Unné radial
110 km/h (68 mph)[7][8]-121 km/h (75 mph)[3] 1,000 m (3,280 ft) in 12:50[8]-13:00[7]
2,000 m (6,560 ft) in 26:00[7]-33:15[8]
7:00[7][3] 14[6][8]  

For more information, see Wikipedia:Caproni Ca.2. For information on Caproni plane names, see the main Caproni page.

References

Citations
  1. 1.0 1.1 Davilla Italian Vol.2, p.122.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Davilla Italian Vol.2, pp.115-119.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Ferry'14, p.70.
  4. Munson, p.156.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Davilla Italian Vol.2, pp.118-119.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Davilla'97, p.133.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Davilla'97, p.129.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Davilla Italian Vol.2, p.142.
Bibliography
  • Dr. James J. Davilla and Arthur M. Soltan. French Aircraft of the First World War. Flying Machines Press, 1997. ISBN 0-9637110-4-0.
  • James Davilla, MD, Italian Aviation in the First World War, Volume 2, Aircraft A-H. USA: Aeronaut Books, 2023. ISBN 978-1-953201-80-5
  • Vital Ferry. French Aviation During the First World War. Paris: Histoire and Collections, 2014. ISBN 978-2-35250-370-5
  • Kenneth Munson, Bombers: Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft, 1914-1919. New York: The MacMillan Company, 1968, Blandford Press Ltd. ISBN 978-0753721711