Ca.1

The Caproni Ca.1 was the first successful aircraft built by Italian engineer Giovanni Battista Caproni in the early 1910s. Designed as a single‑engine biplane, the Ca.1 made its maiden flight in March 1910 at Vizzola, near Milan. Its structure combined a wooden frame with fabric covering, while the fuselage employed a conventional rectangular cross‑section and a fixed tail‑wheel undercarriage. Power came from a 50‑horse‑power rotary Gnome engine that drove a two‑bladed propeller, giving the machine a top speed of roughly 70 km/h and a modest ceiling of 2,000 meters. The aircraft featured a simple open cockpit for the pilot and a front mounting point that later allowed Caproni to experiment with adding a second crew member for reconnaissance. Although only a handful were built, the Ca.1 proved reliable enough to attract the interest of the Italian military, which placed early orders for training and observation variants. Its success established Caproni’s reputation as a leading aircraft manufacturer and laid the groundwork for the larger multi‑engine bombers that would dominate World War I. The Ca.1 therefore represents a pivotal step in Italy’s transition from experimental flyers to a competent national aviation industry.