The Caproni Ca.20 was an early

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

fighter. Developed by

Giovanni Battista Caproni Giovanni Battista Caproni, 1st Count of Taliedo (July 3, 1886 – October 27, 1957), known as "Gianni" Caproni, was an Italian aeronautical engineer, civil engineer, electrical engineer, and aircraft designer who founded the Caproni aircraft-manu ...

in 1914. The only prototype made is today on display at the

Museum of Flight The Museum of Flight is a private non-profit air and space museum in the Seattle metropolitan area. It is located at the southern end of King County International Airport (Boeing Field) in the city of Tukwila, immediately south of Seattle. ...

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History of the design

The Ca.20 was derived from the Ca.18, an observation monoplane that had been developed starting in 1913 from the previous models Ca.8 and Ca.16. It used a more powerful engine, the Rhône. It used an unusual rounded nose cover for the wooden propeller which was cowled smoothly to match the fuselage. The cover was pierced to allow cooling of the engine. The improved aerodynamics helped speed and manoeuvrability. Designed as a fighter, a Lewis machine gun was installed above the pilot, placed above the propeller disc, with an eye level sight. The first synchronization devices, which allowed a weapon to shoot with confidence through the blades of a propeller in motion, would not make their appearance until the Fokker ''Eindecker'' during 1915, although many experiments had been conducted by the French since 1913.

History of the prototype

Only a single Caproni Ca.20 was ever built, because the Italian government rejected the design in favor of bomber aircraft. The prototype was stored in a barn on

's property for 85 years, before being sold to the

in Seattle in 1999. The dry climate had preserved the aircraft, and with the exception of the tires, which had been gnawed by rodents, the prototype Caproni Ca.20 displayed at the Museum of Flight includes all its original parts.

References

Museum of Flight Ca.20

External links

The Caproni Ca.20 of the Museum of Flight

(Russian) {{Portal bar, Italy, Companies, Aviation Ca.020 Military aircraft of World War I 1910s Italian fighter aircraft Rotary-engined aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1914