Caproni Ca.1

On May 27, 2010, 100 years after its first flight, the only preserved Caproni Ca.1 performed an engine start-up and made a short taxied for a few meters at Volandia Museum. Simone Bovi was there and took the following image of the biplane.

The Ca.1 was the first aicraft made by Caproni, even if it was not the first project of Gianni Caproni. The very first one was a biplane glider that he draw in Belgium, with his friend Henri Coandă. The Ca.1 was projected as he returned in Italy. Unfortunately, the aircraft crashed during its first flight, due to a pilot’s error (actually, it was flown by Ugo Tabacchi, who was a chauffeur and not a pilot). It was then stored inside a garage before being exhibited in the Museo Caproni, at Taliedo. It was then moved to the Caproni’s mansion to save it from WWII bombings. It remained in Venegono Superiore until Jan. 2007.

About David Cenciotti

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David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.