Caproni PS.1

PS.1
The second PS.1
General information
Type	Sportsplane
Manufacturer	Caproni
Primary user	Italy
Number built	2
History
Manufactured	1934
First flight	1934

The Caproni PS.1, also known as the Pallavicino PS-1 and Caproni Ca.303, was an Italian four-seater sportsplane, designed and built specifically to compete in Challenge 1934, the European touring plane championships.^[1]

The PS.1 was designed by Cesare Pallavicino, the former designer of Breda, after he had moved in 1933 to Caproni. Only two prototypes of the PS.1 were built, given registrations I-FRAN and I-MELO.

The Caproni PS.1 was a four-seat cabin aircraft of metal construction, with cantilever monoplane low wings. The steel-framed fuselage was covered with fabric as were the single-sparred trapezoidal planform foldable wings of steel construction which had rounded tips. The cabin had two side-by-side seats in front with dual controls, and two seats in the rear, under a common multi-part canopy. A retractable conventional landing gear with a rear skid was fitted with the mainwheels protruding from the wing's lower surface when retracted. The radial engine was fitted to the fuselage nose, enclosed by a cowling, driving a two-bladed propeller.^[1] Fuel was housed in a 160-litre fuel tank.

Both aircraft took part in the Challenge 1934 contest, flown by Armando François and Ugo Vincenzi. In a technical evaluation, the PS-1 took second place behind the Messerschmitt Bf 108 (the PS-1 and Bf 108 were the only Challenge aircraft with retractable landing gear). The aircraft were completed only shortly before the contest, so their pilots had little time for training. During a short landing trial, Vincenzi damaged his engine and propeller, and he had to withdraw. Armando François completed the contest in 18th place (for 34 starting and 19 finishing crews).^[2]

The second PS.1, I-MELO, was rebuilt in the late 1930s and redesignated Caproni Ca.166, given the registration I-ALGU.

Data from ^[1]

General characteristics

• Crew: one or two
• Capacity: two to three passengers
• Length: 7.19 m (23 ft 7 in)
• Wingspan: 10.41 m (34 ft 1.875 in)
• Height: 2.1 m (7 ft)
• Wing area: 17.54 m² (188.8 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 659 kg (1,452 lb)
• Gross weight: 1,078 kg (2,376 lb)
• Fuel capacity: 160 L (35 imp gal; 42 US gal)
• Powerplant: 1 × Fiat A.70 air-cooled 7-cylinder radial engine, 147 kW (197 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 261 km/h (162 mph, 141 kn)
• Cruise speed: 230 km/h (143 mph, 124 kn)
• Stall speed: 60 km/h (37 mph, 32 kn)
• Range: 800 km (500 mi, 430 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 6,500 m (21,320 ft)
• Time to altitude: 26 minutes to 4,000 m (13,120 ft)
• Wing loading: 60 kg/m² (12 lb/sq ft)
• Power/mass: 0.14 kW/kg (0.087 hp/lb)

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Aero A.200
• Fieseler Fi 97
• Messerschmitt Bf 108

• Marian Krzyżan (1988). Międzynarodowe turnieje lotnicze 1929–1934 [International Air Tournaments 1929–1934]. Biblioteczka Skrzydlatej Polski (in Polish). Warsaw: WKiŁ. p. 288. ISBN 83-206-0637-3.
• Thompson, Jonathan (1963). Italian Civil & Military Aircraft 1930–1945 (1st ed.). New York: Aero Publishers Inc. p. 99. ISBN 0-8168-6500-0.