Mark Burns said:
Impressive. I took that shot at the museum of flight a couple of years ago. Here is some info on it from their website.
The World's First Fighter Plane
The Caproni Ca 20 was an aircraft ahead of its time in design, purpose, and armament. In early 1914, before World War I, this speedy single-seat monoplane was built with a forward-facing machine gun mounted above the propeller arc. Considered the world's first fighter plane, the Ca 20's pilot could aim the overhead machine gun at enemy aircraft via a false sight at eye level.
The Ca 20 was an exceptional fighter, yet the Italian military wanted the Caproni Company to produce heavy bombers. This single Ca 20 is the only one ever produced. The plane was stored by the Caproni family in Italy for over 85 years before it was acquired by the Museum of Flight in 1999.
Speedy Monoplane in a Biplane World
Built as a derivative of the Caproni Ca 18 reconnaissance airplane, the Ca 20 incorporated a larger engine covered by a streamlined cowling, shorter wings, and a machine gun as an offensive weapon.
Gianni Caproni (1886-1957)?The Count Who Built Planes
Gianni Caproni designed his first airplane, the Ca 1, in 1910?only 7 years after the Wright brothers' famous flight. During World War One, Caproni's company created a famous line of heavy bombers, including the Caproni Ca 3, versions of which were produced in the United States, England, and France, as well as in Italy. After the war, the growing Caproni Aircraft Company switched from bombers to civilian passenger? and transport aircraft.
Between airplane designs, Gianni Caproni devised and patented many components, including armored and variable-pitch airscrews (propellers), an anemometer (wind gauge), an engine compressor, steerable undercarriages, and a machine gun driven by centrifugal force. Caproni was awarded the title Count of Taliedo by the King of Italy in 1940 and remained active in his company until his death in 1957.
Never Restored?and It Shows!
The Caproni Ca 20 may not be as crisp, clean, and pretty as the day when it was rolled from the workshop, but that's part of its beauty. Unlike most aircraft in museum collections, this plane is almost entirely original. It wears the covering applied in 1914, and today that battered covering can be seen with all of the scars and stains of almost a century of life.
