Ca.1 Bomber Walk-Around
The Ca.1 featured a wide-span, four-bay, bi-plane wing assembly. At the center of the wings was fitted the crew nacelle containing accommodations for four personnel and the third engine. The primary engines were fitted ahead of the twin booms extending aft in a "puller" function arrangement. The third engine on the central nacelle operated in a "pusher" format. The crew consisted of two pilots, a forward gunner and a rear gunner - all fielded in tandem positions. The forward gunner sat in the forward-most compartment. Distinctly, the rear gunner stood in an open air, cage-like pulpit behind the upper wing assembly and ahead of the pusher engine at rear. The twin booms extended aft into a tailplane. Upon this tailplane was affixed three vertical tail fins. The undercarriage was a fixed structure and consisted of a tricycle arrangement featuring two single-wheeled main landing gear legs and a single-wheeled nose landing gear, all supported by struts. The rear of the empennage was supported by a simplistic tailskid fitted to the extreme end. Construction was mainly wood covered in fabric.
Performance, Dimensions, and Armament
The 3 x Fiat A.10 6-cylinder, liquid-cooled in-line engines delivered up to 100 horsepower output each. This supplied the massive aircraft with speeds of up to 75 miles per hour as well as a range equal to 344 miles. Her service ceiling was listed at approximately 13,000 feet. Her empty weight ranged in at about 7,200lbs with a gross weight tipping the scales at 8,800lbs. Wingspan was nearly 23 feet with an overall running length of 36 feet plus. She stood at an impressive 12 feet high. Bombs were suspended under the central nacelle and there were 2 x 6.5mm FIAT-Revelli machine guns used for defense. These machine guns were fitted to the front gunner tub and the rear gunners pedestal cage.
Post-War Ca.1
In the post-war years, the Ca.1 was redesignated to as the "Ca.32". The Ca.1/Ca.32s that survived were logically refurbished to be used as passenger airliners. These systems could transport up to six passengers in relative comfort and fell under the Caproni designation of "Ca.56".
The Improved Ca.2 and the Definitive Ca.3
The Caproni Ca.2 ("Caproni 350hp") was a minor variation (improved engines) on the strengths of the Ca.1 platform. Development ultimately led to the definitive Ca.3 bomber platform.
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