Originally Posted by
JohnnyS
Indeed, JohnnyS; I mean the Caproni Ca. 113 and its derivative aircraft. Good going! It's hard to believe that records set in 1938 and 1939 still stand today. And now, you get to answer the next question. Thanks; Ernie P.
Question: What warbird do I describe?
Clues:
(1) This aircraft was intended to be a training aircraft for advanced students.
(2) Modified versions set a number of world records.
(3) This aircraft was itself based on an earlier aircraft. It was equipped with a more powerful engine, and was intended to be more aerobatic.
(4) In competitions of the time, it won prestigious aerobatic trophies.
(5) Among the records set by the modified version, was an absolute record for altitude.
(6) Some versions were armed, some not. Some of the armed versions served in the armed forces of other countries;
(7) It’s easy to find this aircraft in the big book of world records, since some of the records set still stand; or at least stood as of a year ago.
(8) Some aircraft were produced by a subsidiary, built in a foreign country.
(9) Some of the records set were impressive at the time, but might be viewed as rather worthless today; perhaps even silly.
(10) The altitude records were set by both men and women.
(11) The records in (9) were performed in the United States; and were for inverted flight.
Answer: The Caproni Ca.113 and its follow-on derivative, the Caproni Ca.161
The Caproni Ca.113 was an advanced
training biplane produced in Italy and Bulgaria in the early 1930s. Designed as a follow-on to the
Ca.100, it was a more powerful and robust aircraft capable of aerobatics. It was a conventional design with two
cockpits in tandem, single-bay
staggered wings of equal span, and mainwheels covered by large spats.
The Ca.113's capabilities were demonstrated by
Mario De Bernardi's win of the aerobatic trophy at the
1931 Cleveland Air Races and its use in setting a number of aerial records, most importantly a world altitude record of 14,433 m (47,352 ft) set by
Renato Donati on 11 April
1934. Other records included a women's world altitude record of 12,010 m (39,400 ft) set by Contessa
Carina Negrone in
1935 and world endurance records for inverted flight. These latter records were set by
Tito Falconi at the US
1933 National Air Races, who flew inverted from
Los Angeles to
San Diego and after the race meet, made an inverted flight from
St. Louis to
Chicago.
The Ca.113 was also produced in quantity by the subsidiary that Caproni established in
Kazanlak, Bulgaria. Here, it was known as the Chuchuliga ("
Skylark") and was produced in a number of versions designated KB-2, KB-3, KB-4 and KB-5 in 1938-1939, some of which were armed. 107 of these aircraft were produced, most going to the
Bulgarian Royal Air Force, where they saw service until the country was overrun by the Soviet Union.
General characteristics
Crew: 2, pilot and instructor
Length: 7.30 m (23 ft 11 in)
Wingspan: 10.50 m (34 ft 5 in)
Height: 2.70 m (8 ft 11 in)
Wing area: 27.0 m2 (290 ft2)
Empty weight: 850 kg (1,874 lb)
Gross weight: 1,100 kg (2,205 lb)
Powerplant: 1 ×
Piaggio Stella VII C.35, 276 kW (370 hp)
Performance
Maximum speed: 250 km/h (155 mph)
Range: 300 km (186 miles)
Service ceiling: 7,300 m (23,950 ft)
Rate of climb: 8.8 m/s (1,730 ft/min)
The Caproni Ca.161 was an aircraft built in Italy in 1936 in an attempt to set a new world altitude record. It was a conventional
biplane with two-bay,
staggered wings of equal span based on Caproni's
Ca.113 design. The pressure-suited pilot was accommodated in an open cockpit.
On 8 May 1937, Lieutenant Colonel
Mario Pezzi broke the world altitude record with a flight to 15,655 m (51,362 ft). The following year, Pezzi broke the record again in the more powerful Ca.161bis, making a flight to 17,083 m (56,047 ft) on 22 October 1938.
As of 2012, this record still stands for piston-powered aircraft.
A final altitude record was set on 25 September 1939 in the float-equipped Ca.161Idro, piloted by
Nicola di Mauro to 13,542 m (44,429 ft). As of 2012, this record also still stands.