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Aviation History
1921
1921 - 0289.PDF
APRIL 28, 1921 THE CAPRONI "NINEPLANDEM" FLYING BOAT: Eight 400 H.P. Liberty Engines IN spite of its sudden demise during one of its first test flights, it appears worth while to place on record a few par- ticulars of the large Caproni triple triplane; variously called the " Capronissimo," from the fact that Signor Caproni is said to contemplate much larger machines on similar lines, and the " Nineplandem," from the arrangement of its carrying surfaces. The machine was of such an extraordinary design that one felt doubtful as to it being controllable, when and if with nose radiator. Between the two fuselages is mounted a shorter engine nacelle, which carries two engines, one driving a tractor and one a pusher. " The arrangement of the rear set of engines is similar, except that the three screws are pushers and one (the central one in the nose of the rear central nacelle) a tractor. In addition to the two sets of triplanes at the ends of the machine, there is a third set midway between them. This The Eight-en- gined Caproni : Front view of central portion, showing nose of cabin and the housing of the four front en- gines. The rear engine set is similarly ar- ranged, except that the three engines drive pusher screws. it once got into the air. We have no information as to the exact cause of the accident, but from what can be gathered it appears that lack of control may have been responsible for the dive into the sea.—ED. The reasons which led Signor Caproni to choose this unusual arrangement are various. In the first place, he is a great believer in multiple engiues, and this arrangement has set is so placed as to be on a slightly lower level than the other two. Whether this is done to get a certain amount of " stagger effect " is not known, but this seems probable. Lateral stability on the water is obtained by small auxiliary floats placed underneath the lower plane of this central triplane set. The main float hull is placed underneath the triplane surfaces, the lower planes of which rest on its roof, The Caproni "Nineplandem": Three-quarter rear view. A good idea of the size of th e machine may be formed by com- parison with the men, and with the single - engined flying boat stand- ing in front of the large machine. Note the biplane rudders between the rear planes. afforded him an opportunity of working in no less than eight, as regards the front and rear sets, while the middle triplane four at each end. The arrangement of these engines should has its lower wing roots attached to the sides of the cabin, be understood from one of the accompanying photographs, ^~ 1--L-— -~ - ' l—-1- --^- which shows the centre portion of the front triplane surface, and the nose of the main hull, as well as of the two auxiliary fuselages. Each of the latter carries in its nose an engine The latter is a huge boat with fiat sides and Vee bottom with two steps, the front one of which occurs below the middle triplane, approximately under the centre of gravity, while the second and smaller step is under the leading edge of the rear 289 C 2
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