Caproni-Campini N1 (CC.2)

History

With the introduction of the N1 (also known as CC.2), Italy became the second country in the world (Germany was the first) to achieve jet flight by developing this special aircraft. It did little to drive the arrival of the jet age and help a country mired in the end of a world war. Engine designer Secondo Campini teamed up with aircraft company Caproni to try to reap the rewards of his work on reactive propulsion technology.

The product will be an interesting mix of old and new, as the N1 will feature a simple piston engine that drives a fan-compressor system that uses ignited fuel to provide additional propulsion -- the engine has afterburner properties to some extent. While not a true turbojet, the N1 was still a training aircraft that would prove that an engine design was possible, but actually turned into a design that couldn't be further developed into anything more.

The N1 became a large aircraft design piloted by two employees. It is a low-wing monoplane with a conventionally designed tail and a single vertical tail. The air intake was opened in the most forward position and the outlet was jettisoned at the very end of the aircraft. The first flight took place in 1940, and several more controlled flights followed. Because this is more of a technology demonstration than a viable fighter design, the system is unarmed.

The landing gear is powered and fully retractable. Borrowing from the earlier "jet" designs of the time, the wings were straight, with the distinctly smooth curves of piston-engined fighter jet designs. The N1 has a top speed of just 233 mph.

The Caproni-Campini N1 (CC. 2) is neither a true piston engine aircraft nor a full-fledged turbojet design. As a result, the development of this technology has largely proved to be a dead end, and the failed civil war effort has kept Italian priorities largely on the defensive. Aside from proving the design concept and bringing Italy one step closer to the jet age, the N1 will never really accomplish much.

N1 will survive until the end of the war and become a museum collection.

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