The twentieth century saw the development of powered flight and very soon armies began to explore the role of airplanes in military conflicts. During World War I, aviation technology increased immensely. For many aviation history buffs, the topic of World War I airplanes will bring up names such as Fokker, Sopwith, and Curtiss. In fact, however, military aviation began with Italy and Caproni.
Italy was a forerunner in military aviation: prior to World War I, Italy was engaged in a conflict with Turkey in North Africa in 1911 and the Italians began using a Blériot monoplane to locate Turkish troops. Very soon, Italian pilots were dropping hand grenades on Turkish troops, first recorded use of bombing from airplanes. In the months leading up to World War I, Gianni Caproni created the world’s first fighter plane, the Ca 20.
The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington, is the largest independent, non-profit air and space museum in the world. The J. Elroy McCaw Personal Courage Wing is a two-story gallery that highlights the stories of courage, dedication, heroism and the triumph of the human spirit of those involved in fighter aviation in World War I and World War II. The second story of this wing looks at World War I. Here one of the displays features a Caproni CA 20.
According to the display:
“Created in early 1914, the Caproni Ca 20 was ahead of its time in design, purpose, and armament. This speedy single-seat monoplane, considered the world’s first fighter plane, was equipped with a forward-facing machine gun mounted above the propeller arc. Its pilot could aim the overhead machine gun at enemy aircraft via a false sight at eye level.”
The machine gun is a .303 calibre Lewis.
The Ca 20 was derived from the Ca 18 which the Italian military used as a reconnaissance airplane. The Ca 20 had a larger engine (110-hp 9-cylinder rotary), shorter wingspan (25 feet, 7 inches), and streamlined metal cowling to reduce drag and increase speed. It has a top speed of 103 mph and a ceiling of 16,400 feet.
According to the display:
“Test flights proved that the Ca 20 was an exceptional airplane—much faster than other military planes being made in France and Germany. Yet the Italian military wanted the Caproni Company to focus on heavy bombers, and this single Ca 20 was the only one ever produced.”
During World War I, the Caproni Company designed and built bombers which were mass-produced in England, France, the United States, and Italy.
Most of the World War I airplanes displayed in museums are replicas, but the Caproni Ca 20 displayed in the Museum of Flight is the original. According to the display:
“The Caproni family stored the plane in Italy for more than 85 years—most of the time, in a monastery. The Museum of Flight staff carefully dismantled the Ca 20 piece by piece and lowered it through a second-story window. The rare aircraft was then shipped to and painstakingly reassembled at the Museum.”
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Museums 101: Some 1920s Monoplanes (Photo Diary)
WAAAM: Waco Airplanes (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Replica Aircraft (Photo Diary)
Evergreen Aviation: Biplanes (photo diary)
Museums 101: Vintage Aircraft in the Museum of Mountain Flying (Photo Diary)
Stonehenge Air Museum: Biplanes (Photo Diary)
Planes of Fame: Pre-WWII Fighters (Photo Diary)