SW - Caproni Stipa

The one of the most strangely looking aircrafts ever was an Italian experimental machine designed in 1932 by Luigi Stipa for the Italian Air Ministry. To make aircraft's engine more efficient, it had a hollow barrel-shaped fusselage with engine and proppeler placed inside, working as a big Venturi's tube and making lift of the plane about 37pc better. The Stipa-Caproni proved to be noticeably quieter than conventional aircraft of the time. Unfortunately, the "intubed propeller" design also induced so much aerodynamic drag that the benefits in engine efficiency were cancelled out, and the aircraft's top speed proved to be only 131 km/h. The prototype made many flights from the Taliedo and Guidonia airports, was easy to control but not very useful for serial production and has been forgotten. This type, though, meant an important step in the development of jet propulsion. The skills made with it was later used for example in design of Caproni Campini N-1.