https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caproni_Campini_N.1
The Caproni Campini N.1, also known as the C.C.2, was an experimental jet
aircraft built in the 1930s by Italian aircraft manufacturer Caproni. The N.1
first flew in 1940 and was briefly regarded as the first successful jet-powered
aircraft in history, before news emerged of the German Heinkel He 178's first
flight a year earlier.
The N.1 was powered by a motorjet, a type of jet engine in which the compressor
is driven by a conventional reciprocating engine. It was an experimental
aircraft, designed to demonstrate the practicality of jet propulsion. On 27
August 1940, the maiden flight of the N.1 occurred at Caproni facility in
Taliedo, outside of Milan, flown by renowned test pilot Mario De Bernardi.
Subsequent flight tests with the first prototype led to a maximum speed of
roughly 320 MPH being recorded. On 30 November 1941, the second prototype was
flown by pilot De Bernardi and engineer Giovanni Pedace from Milan's Linate
Airport to Rome's Guidonia Airport, in a highly publicised event that included a
fly-past over Rome and a reception with Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini.
Testing of the N.1 continued into 1943, by which point work on the project was
disrupted by the Allied invasion of Italy.
The N.1 achieved mixed results, while it was perceived and commended as a
crucial milestone in aviation (until the revelation of the He 178's earlier
flight), the performance of the aircraft was underwhelming; specifically, it was
slower than some existing conventional aircraft of the era, while the motorjet
engine was incapable of producing sufficient thrust to deliver viable
performance levels to be used in a fighter aircraft. Campini embarked on further
projects, but these would involve the indigenously-developed motorjet being
substituted for in favour of a German-provided turbojet engine instead. As such,
the N.1 programme never lead to any operational combat aircraft, and the
motorjet design was soon superseded by the more powerful turbojet. Only one of
the two examples of the N.1 to have been constructed has survived to the present
day.
Role
Experimental aircraft
National origin
Italy
Manufacturer
Caproni
Designer
Secondo Campini
First flight
27 August 1940
Status
Prototypes only
Primary user
Regia Aeronautica
Number built
2
Developed into
Caproni Campini Ca.183bis
Subsequent flight tests with the first prototype led to a maximum speed of
roughly 320 MPH being recorded. However, testing revealed several issues with
the engine; particularly the determination that it lacked the ability to produce
sufficient thrust to achieve high performance if it were to be matched to a
strengthened airframe to withstand the high loading pressures. One of the more
unusual issues to be encountered during the flight test programme was the
considerable amount of engine heat which was conveyed into the cockpit; in order
to fly the aircraft, the crew were forced to keep the canopy open throughout the
flight, which effectively vented the heat.
According to aviation author Sterling Michael Pavelec, the first flight of the
N.1 had "showed that the plane was a failure...heavy and underpowered"; he
observed that the pre-existing Caproni Vizzola F.4 (a conventionally-powered
aircraft) was capable of a greater maximum speed. Pavelec attributed the
underwhelming performance have been a product of limited national resources
which had not only undermined the potential performance for any turbojet
programme but also mainstream piston engines, which he claimed to be typically
underfunded and prone to technical difficulties, leading to Italian engine
manufacturers mainly restricting themselves to traditional and low-powered
models while German industry became increasingly relied upon for the production
of high-powered engines.
Testing of the two N.1 prototypes continued into 1943, however the programme was
heavily hindered by events of the Second World War, specifically the extensive
Allied invasion of Italy which would see the collapse of the nation's Fascist
government. During an Allied bombing raised upon Caproni's factory in Taliedo,
one of the experimental aircraft was destroyed. After the conflict had reached
its end in 1945, one of the remaining prototypes was transported to the United
Kingdom for study at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) in Farnborough. This
aircraft was subsequently lost and its whereabouts have remained unknown.
Specifications
General characteristics
Crew: two
Length: 13.10 m (43 ft)
Wingspan: 15.85 m (52 ft)
Height: 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in)
Empty weight: 3,640 kg (8,024 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 4,195 kg (9,250 lb)
three-stage, variable-pitch axial compressor motorjet, producing 6.9 kN (1,550
lbf)
Performance
Maximum speed: 375 km/h (233 mph)
Service ceiling: 4,000 m (13,300 ft)
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