Caproni Ca.113
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1908 in Italy |
| Headquarters | Italy |
| Products | Aircraft, including the Caproni Ca.113 |
The Caproni Ca.113 was a sophisticated training biplane developed during the early 1930s in both Italy and Bulgaria. Serving as an enhanced successor to the Ca.100, this model featured increased power and structural strength, enabling it to perform aerobatic maneuvers. It incorporated a traditional layout with tandem seating in two cockpits, single-bay wings of equal length arranged with stagger, and main landing gear fitted with large wheel spats.
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Design and development
The Ca.113’s performance was notably highlighted when Mario De Bernardi secured the aerobatics trophy at the 1931 Cleveland Air Races flying a model equipped with a Walter Castor engine, and it subsequently established several aviation records. Most significant among these was a world altitude record of 14,433 m (47,352 ft) achieved by Renato Donati on April 11, 1934, using a modified version of the Ca.113 featuring an extended wingspan and powered by a supercharged Alfa-Romeo-built Bristol Pegasus engine.[1] Additional records included a women’s altitude mark of 12,010 m (39,400 ft) set by Contessa Carina Negrone in 1935,[1] as well as endurance records for inverted flight established by Tito Falconi during the 1933 US National Air Races. Falconi flew inverted from Los Angeles to San Diego, and following the event, completed another inverted flight between St. Louis and Chicago.
Production of the Ca.113 was carried out extensively by Caproni’s subsidiary located in Kazanlak, Bulgaria.[2] Known locally as the Chuchuliga ("Skylark"), it was manufactured in several variants labeled KB-2, KB-3, KB-4, and KB-5 between 1938 and 1939, some outfitted with armaments. A total of 107 units were produced, predominantly serving with the Bulgarian Royal Air Force, where they remained operational until the Soviet occupation of Bulgaria in 1944.
Variants
- KB-2UT
- This Bulgarian training variant of the Ca.113 featured enlarged dimensions and was equipped with engines such as the BMW IV, Junkers L2, or Hispano-Suiza. In Italy, it was designated as Ca.113/32. A total of eight units were produced between 1933 and 1935.
- KB-2A Chuchuliga
- An updated version derived from the KB-2UT, powered by a 260 hp (190 kW) Walter Castor radial engine. Its Italian designation was Ca.113/35. Six aircraft were built in 1936.
- KB-3 Chuchuliga I
- A further refined trainer based on the KB-2A, featuring a lighter airframe and a 340 hp (250 kW) Walter Castor II engine. Known in Italy as Ca.113/36, twenty examples were manufactured in 1937.
- KB-4 Chuchuliga II
- This armed reconnaissance and liaison model was powered by a 365 hp (272 kW) Wright R-975 E-2 Whirlwind engine. Its Italian designation was Ca.113/39. Production ran from 1938 to 1939 with 28 units completed.
- KB-5 Chuchuliga III
- Designed for reconnaissance and light bombing roles within the Bulgarian Air Force, the prototype utilized a 455 hp (339 kW) Piaggio P.VII C.I engine, while production models were fitted with a 450 hp (340 kW) Walter Pollux II engine. This variant bore the Italian designation Ca.113/40, with 45 aircraft built between 1939 and 1940.
Operators
- Portuguese Air Force - One unit operated
Specifications
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Thompson 1963, p. 85.
- ↑ Bernád 1996, pp. 10–11.
Bibliography
- Andreev, Jordan, "Les avions Kaproni-Bulgarski (I)", Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire, March 1999, no.72, pp.48–50 (in French)
- Andreev, Jordan, "Les avions Kaproni-Bulgarski (fin)", Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire, April 1999, no.73, pp.45–52 (in French)
- Bernád, Dénes, "Balkan Birds: Thirty-Five Years of Bulgarian Aircraft Production: Part 2", Air Enthusiast, no.96, Nov–Dec 1996, pp.10–17
- Grey, C.G., and Bridgman, Leonard (eds.), Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1938, Sampson Low, Marston & Company Ltd., London, 1938
- Taylor, Michael J.H., Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation, Studio Editions, London, 1989, p.234
- Thompson, Jonathon P., Italian Civil and Military Aircraft 1930–1945, Aero Publishers Inc., 1963
- Tincopa, Amaru and Rivas Santiago, Axis Aircraft in Latin America, Crécy Publishing, Manchester UK, 2016
- World Aircraft Information Files, Bright Star Publishing, London
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