The Caproni CH.1 was a single-seat

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

fighter, a single example of which was produced as a prototype in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

in 1935.

Design

Antonio Chiodi began design work on a new single-seat fighter in 1934 as a private venture of the

Caproni Caproni, also known as ''Società de Agostini e Caproni'' and ''Società Caproni e Comitti'', was an Italian aircraft manufacturer. Its main base of operations was at Taliedo, near Linate Airport, on the outskirts of Milan. Founded by Giovan ...

company. He designed the Caproni CH.1—"CH" standing for "Chiodi"—an

aerodynamically Aerodynamics, from grc, ἀήρ ''aero'' (air) + grc, δυναμική (dynamics), is the study of the motion of air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dyn ...

clean single-bay biplane of all-metal construction, with fabric skin and wings of equal span. The aircraft had spatted landing gear. The

cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a Pilot in command, pilot controls the aircraft. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the ...

was enclosed, with a

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...

that opened by sliding to the rear.Green and Swanborough, p. 108. Chiodi intended the CH.1 to be powered by a Gnome-Rhône 14Kfs Mistral Major 14-cylinder

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ca ...

, rated at at 4,750 meters (15,584 feet), but instead the aircraft was constructed with a Piaggio Stella P.IX R.C.40 nine-cylinder radial rated at at 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) driving a three-bladed,

variable-pitch propeller Variable-pitch propeller can refer to: *Variable-pitch propeller (marine) *Variable-pitch propeller (aeronautics) In aeronautics, a variable-pitch propeller is a type of propeller (airscrew) with blades that can be rotated around their long a ...

. The CH.1s proposed armament was two fixed forward-firing 7.7-millimeter (0.303-inch)

Breda-SAFAT machine gun Breda-SAFAT (''Società Italiana Ernesto Breda per Costruzioni Meccaniche / Breda Meccanica Bresciana'' - ''Società Anonima Fabbrica Armi Torino'') was an Italian weapons manufacturer of the 1930s and 1940s that designed and produced a range of m ...

s synchronized to fire through the propeller.

Operational history

Chiodi himself piloted the CH.1 on its first flight, which took place in May 1935. After the Caproni company finished its tests, the ''

Regia Aeronautica The Italian Royal Air Force (''Regia Aeronautica Italiana'') was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the monarchy was abolis ...

'' (Italian Royal Air Force), tested the CH.1 at

Guidonia Montecelio Guidonia Montecelio (), commonly known as Guidonia, is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Lazio, central Italy. Geography The municipality of Guidonia Montecelio, formed by the main towns of Guidonia and Montecelio, l ...

in July and August 1935. Although powered by an engine of lower power than its designer intended, the CH.1 had an exceptional rate of climb. Tests ended when the CH.1 flipped over onto its back during a landing and was damaged in August 1935. The ''Regia Aeronautica'' did not place a production order, and no further examples were built.

Specifications (CH.1)

Notes

References

* {{Portal bar, Italy, Companies, Aviation Ch.1 Caproni Ch.1 Biplanes Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1935