Caproni's granturismo

The Caproni Ca.36 Bomber

In case you were wondering whether or not the Caproni factory also built "normal" aeroplanes, I present you with an image of a restored bomber from the First World war. Its development started in 1914 with Gianni Caproni's Ca.31 model. By 1918, it had evolved into this model which remained in service until 1929. "The Ca.36 on display was obtained by the USAF Museum in 1987. It was restored at the Museum and is on loan from the Museo Aeronautica Caproni di Taliedo in Italy." (USAF Museum).



Another Ca.3 bomber was stored in a barn in Piedmont by its decorated pilot Casimiro Buttini immediately after the First World War where it remained until 1959. It is now in the Italian Air Force Museum at Vigna di Valle (photo by Philip Stevens).



Caproni Ca.9

Caproni had already made a big name in the design and production of monoplanes. From 1911 to 1913, the Caproni factory built 16 prototypes and 55 production models. On April 22th, 1912, the Ca.12 took off from the Lido di Venezia with the first paying passenger in Italy (Museo Gianni Caproni).


The Caproni Ca. 100 Idro

The "Ca.100 Idro" would become Caproni's biggest hit. It was succesful enough to earn itself the nickname of "Caproncino" - they have added an affectionate diminuitive to a name which suggested something big resulting in a nickname much like a "little-big-goat". The aeroplane was widely used throughout the 1930s both in civil aviation for leisure, pleasure and "Gran Turismo" so to speak and in military service as a reconnaissance and meteorological survey aircraft, a target-tractor and even a light bomber. The Flight Arm of the Royal Italian Navy ("la Regia Aeronautica") still had 241 of these aircraft in service by as late as 1943. The last civil trainer retired in 1968 (Museo Gianni Caproni).


The Caproni Ca. 193 was designed by Amilcare Porro for Caproni in the late 1940s.

And here's yet another Caproni. The Caproni Ca. 193 was intended as an "air-taxi" - which to me seems to be somewhat of a return to the original function of the monoplanes. It was never taken into production however. A single machine, truly one of a kind, has been flown around by various owners in the 1950s and has long since retired to the Museum (Museo Gianni Caproni).