Caproni Ca.113

Ca.113
300px
Caproni Ca.113 AQ altitude record aircraft
Role	Civil trainer aircraft
Manufacturer	Caproni, Kaproni Bulgarski
First flight	1931

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. One hundred seven 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 in 1944.

Operators

Bulgaria

• Bulgarian Air Force

Peru

• Peruvian Air Force

Portugal

• Portuguese Air Force - One aircraft.

Specifications

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)

See also

Related lists

• List of Interwar military aircraft