The Caproni CA-60 was made as a cross between a house-boat and a
plane. This 1920 triple-wing monstrosity used three sets of triplane
wings left over from WW1 bombers, bolted to a 100 {!} passenger
flying boat hull. It had twice the wing area of a B-52 bomber and
weighed 55,000 pounds. The 9000 square foot wings were equipped with
ailerons and the rear set were elevators. Power was by eight 400 hp
American Liberty engines in pusher and tractor sets, ten times as
much as the average passenger aircraft of the time. Miraculously,
this machine DID fly the first time in 1921- it reached a height of
60 feet, collapsed, and plummeted toward the lake just after take
off, killing both pilots. The test pilot was named Semprini. It was
"mysteriously" destroyed in a fire while undergoing repairs. Despite
it's massive size, it was merely a prototype for a 150 seater
designed to cross the Atlantic. |