Count Gianni Caproni, builder of some fine aircraft, chose for some
reason to build a giant flying boat with no fewer than nine wings and
eight engines. With this, or an even bigger version, he hoped to fly over 100
passengers across the Atlantic. Amidst all the struts and wings, the absence of
any tail surfaces could easily be overlooked. Reportedly making a short hop
without incident, the official first flight was less successful. Rising to about
18m above Lake Maggiore, the Ca.60 suddenly nosed down and dived
into the water. Some said that testing had shown the need for a lot of lead
ballast and that this had shifted in flight. Test pilot Semprini crawled out of
the wreck unscathed. Later a mysterious fire destroyed the remains and ended
the Count's transatlantic dream.
FACTS AND FIGURES
� The Ca.60 had twice the wing area
of a B-52 bomber. The equal size
wings would have nearly equal
loading, making it longitudinally
unstable. Supposedly differential
use of front and rear ailerons
would have controlled pitch.
� The eight Liberty engines were arranged
with three pulling and pushing on the
front wing and three pushing and one
pulling at the back. The centre engines
had four-bladed propellers.
� The pilot had an open cockpit, but the passengers in the cabin had more windows glazing than any airliner before or since.
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