Ca.1 to Ca.3 @·AIRCRAFTUBE

  • Caproni Ca.1
Caproni Ca.1
    Caproni Ca.1
  • Caproni Ca.33 (c1920)
Caproni Ca.33 (c1920)
    Caproni Ca.33 (c1920)
  • Ca.3 with Colombo D.110 engines that served with<br>the Scuola Aviazione Caproni in the Twenties
Ca.3 with Colombo D.110 engines that served with<br>the Scuola Aviazione Caproni in the Twenties
    Ca.3 with Colombo D.110 engines that served with
    the Scuola Aviazione Caproni in the Twenties
  • Caproni Ca.3s of 7th stormo bombardamento during the September 1925 maneuvers
Caproni Ca.3s of 7th stormo bombardamento during the September 1925 maneuvers
    Caproni Ca.3s of 7th stormo bombardamento during the September 1925 maneuvers
  • American student pilots make their acquaintance with the Caproni Ca.3
American student pilots make their acquaintance with the Caproni Ca.3
    American student pilots make their acquaintance with the Caproni Ca.3
  • Caproni Ca.3
Caproni Ca.3
    Caproni Ca.3
  • Caproni Ca.3-1 with two rotary tractor engines and a pusher Isotta-Fraschini engine
Caproni Ca.3-1 with two rotary tractor engines and a pusher Isotta-Fraschini engine
    Caproni Ca.3-1 with two rotary tractor engines and a pusher Isotta-Fraschini engine
  • The Caproni Ca.3 at the italian Air Force museum
The Caproni Ca.3 at the italian Air Force museum
    The Caproni Ca.3 at the italian Air Force museum
  • Caproni Ca.3 with Isotta-Fraschini V4B inline engines in the Ca.33 form
Caproni Ca.3 with Isotta-Fraschini V4B inline engines in the Ca.33 form
    Caproni Ca.3 with Isotta-Fraschini V4B inline engines in the Ca.33 form
  • Caproni Ca.3 from the first production batch
Caproni Ca.3 from the first production batch
    Caproni Ca.3 from the first production batch
  • A Ca.1 still lacking its military equipment<br>Emilio Pensuti (in flying suit)<br>Gianni Caproni<br>and Giovanni Agusta
A Ca.1 still lacking its military equipment<br>Emilio Pensuti (in flying suit)<br>Gianni Caproni<br>and Giovanni Agusta
    A Ca.1 still lacking its military equipment
    Emilio Pensuti (in flying suit)
    Gianni Caproni
    and Giovanni Agusta
  • The Single engine Caproni Ca.37
The Single engine Caproni Ca.37
    The Single engine Caproni Ca.37
  • Caproni Ca.450 (1918)
Caproni Ca.450 (1918)
    Caproni Ca.450 (1918)
  • Caproni Ca.2 (9 Ca.300 became Ca.2 after replacing the central<br>Fiat A.10 with a 150hp Isotta-Fraschini V4B, also known as Ca.350
Caproni Ca.2 (9 Ca.300 became Ca.2 after replacing the central<br>Fiat A.10 with a 150hp Isotta-Fraschini V4B, also known as Ca.350
    Caproni Ca.2 (9 Ca.300 became Ca.2 after replacing the central
    Fiat A.10 with a 150hp Isotta-Fraschini V4B, also known as Ca.350
  • Caproni Ca.3
Caproni Ca.3
    Caproni Ca.3
  • Caproni Ca.1 bearing the two diamonds insignia of pilot Gino Lisa
Caproni Ca.1 bearing the two diamonds insignia of pilot Gino Lisa
    Caproni Ca.1 bearing the two diamonds insignia of pilot Gino Lisa
  • Caproni Ca.3 of 11th gruppo in Aviano
Caproni Ca.3 of 11th gruppo in Aviano
    Caproni Ca.3 of 11th gruppo in Aviano
  • C.E.P Bomber of 112<br>night bomber escadron group<br>(France, 1915)
C.E.P Bomber of 112<br>night bomber escadron group<br>(France, 1915)
    C.E.P Bomber of 112
    night bomber escadron group
    (France, 1915)
  • Caproni Ca.3
Caproni Ca.3
    Caproni Ca.3
  • The Caproni Ca.3 with three 150hp Isotta-Fraschini V4B<br>engines was widely known as Ca.450
The Caproni Ca.3 with three 150hp Isotta-Fraschini V4B<br>engines was widely known as Ca.450
    The Caproni Ca.3 with three 150hp Isotta-Fraschini V4B
    engines was widely known as Ca.450
  • Caproni Ca.33
Caproni Ca.33
    Caproni Ca.33
  • Caproni Ca.450 at Foggia Sud field, flown by sergente Federico Semprini (1918)
Caproni Ca.450 at Foggia Sud field, flown by sergente Federico Semprini (1918)
    Caproni Ca.450 at Foggia Sud field, flown by sergente Federico Semprini (1918)
  • Caproni Ca.3
Caproni Ca.3
    Caproni Ca.3
  • A Caproni Ca.3 in flight over Venice
A Caproni Ca.3 in flight over Venice
    A Caproni Ca.3 in flight over Venice
  • Caproni Ca.3
Caproni Ca.3
    Caproni Ca.3
  • The Caproni Ca.36 at the USAF museum
The Caproni Ca.36 at the USAF museum
    The Caproni Ca.36 at the USAF museum
  • Caproni Ca.3
Caproni Ca.3
    Caproni Ca.3
  • C.E.P.2 (or CEP 57) of escadron CEP 115 of the french armée de l"air (1917)
C.E.P.2 (or CEP 57) of escadron CEP 115 of the french armée de l"air (1917)
    C.E.P.2 (or CEP 57) of escadron CEP 115 of the french armée de l"air (1917)
  • Caproni Ca.3
Caproni Ca.3
    Caproni Ca.3
  • A 300hp Ca.32 with<br>Gianni Caproni on board
A 300hp Ca.32 with<br>Gianni Caproni on board
    A 300hp Ca.32 with
    Gianni Caproni on board
  • Caproni Ca.3-1 with two rotary tractor engines and a pusher Isotta-Fraschini engine
Caproni Ca.3-1 with two rotary tractor engines and a pusher Isotta-Fraschini engine
    Caproni Ca.3-1 with two rotary tractor engines and a pusher Isotta-Fraschini engine
  • Caproni Ca.33 four man bomber powered by three 150hp Isotta-Fraschini V-4Bs
Caproni Ca.33 four man bomber powered by three 150hp Isotta-Fraschini V-4Bs
    Caproni Ca.33 four man bomber powered by three 150hp Isotta-Fraschini V-4Bs
  • Caproni Ca.300 "Ace of spades" of 8th squadriglia with pilots Luigi Gori and Maurizio Pagliano,<br>observer Aurelio Barbarisi and motorist-gunner soldato Alessandro Zamengo
Caproni Ca.300 "Ace of spades" of 8th squadriglia with pilots Luigi Gori and Maurizio Pagliano,<br>observer Aurelio Barbarisi and motorist-gunner soldato Alessandro Zamengo
    Caproni Ca.300 "Ace of spades" of 8th squadriglia with pilots Luigi Gori and Maurizio Pagliano,
    observer Aurelio Barbarisi and motorist-gunner soldato Alessandro Zamengo
  • "Ace of spades" "Ace of spades"
    "Ace of spades"

Caproni Ca.1 to Ca.3

Caproni Ca.1 (1914)

Development and design

The Ca.1 was a three-engine biplane of fabric-covered wooden construction. It had four crew members in an open central nacelle: two pilots, a front gunner, and rear gunner-mechanic, who manned upper machine guns, standing upon the central engine in a protective cage, just in front of the rear propeller. The Ca.1 had a tricycle landing gear.

Italy and Russia were among the first countries to start developing a heavy bomber capability before World War I. The first heavy bomber, designed by Gianni Caproni was a twin-boom biplane, featuring a layout that included three 67 kW (80 hp) Gnome rotary engines housed one behind the other in a central nacelle, the rearmost driving a pusher propeller, and the other two driving tractor propellers mounted on the fronts of the two booms. Referred to by Caproni as the Caproni 260 hp and retrospectively, after the war, as the Ca.30), this design flew in a slightly modified form (later called the Ca.31) in October 1914.

Test flights revealed the power to be insufficient and the engine layout unworkable. Caproni altered the aircraft, retaining the pusher engine in its original location and moving the other two engines to the front of the booms, directly driving the propellers. With more powerful inline engines, the air arm of the Italian Army became interested in purchasing the Caproni 300 hp (later known as the Ca.32), which they designated the Ca.1. A total of 166 aircraft were delivered between August 1915 and December 1916.

Some Ca.1s survived the war to be rebuilt as airliners, able to carry up to six passengers. This conversion became known as the Ca.56 in Caproni's postwar naming scheme.

There is some variation in published sources over early Caproni designations. The confusion stems, in part, from three separate schemes used to designate these aircraft – Caproni's in-house designations of the time, those used by the Italian Army, and designations created after the war by Caproni to refer to past designs.

Operational history

The Ca.1 entered service with the Italian Army in the middle of 1915 and first saw action on August 20, 1915, attacking the Austrian air base at Aisovizza. Fifteen bomber squadrons (1-15 Squadriglia) were eventually equipped with Ca.1, Ca.2, and Ca.3 bombers, bombing mostly targets in Austria-Hungary. The 12th squadron operated in Libya. In 1918 three squadrons (3, 14 and 15) operated in France.

Operators

  • Kingdom of Italy : Corpo Aeronautico Militare.

Caproni Ca.2

Development

The Ca.2 was a minor development of the Caproni Ca.1. It had become evident early in the Ca.1's service life that the design could benefit from more power. Caproni therefore replaced the central, pusher engine of the aircraft with a more powerful one. Caproni referred to this as the Caproni 350 hp at the time, and the Italian Army dubbed it the Ca.2. No separate number seems to have been allocated to it in Caproni's postwar redesignation scheme.

Only nine aircraft were built, supplied to the Italian Army alongside deliveries of Ca.1s between August 1915 and December 1916.

The benefits of increased power encouraged Caproni to continue in this direction, leading to the definitive Caproni Ca.3.

Description

Three-engine biplane of a wooden construction, covered with fabric. The crew of four were placed in an open central nacelle (front gunner, two pilots and rear gunner-mechanic). The rear gunner manned upper machine guns, standing upon the central engine in a protective "cage," just in front of a propeller. It had tricycle landing gear.

Armament consisted of two to four Revelli 6.5 mm or 7.7 mm machine guns, one on a front ring mount and one, two or sometimes even three on an upper ring mount. Bombs were suspended under the hull.

Caproni Ca.3

Development

The development of the Ca.1 to the Ca.2 suggested the benefits of increasing amounts of power to the very sound airframe. The Ca.3 was a development of Ca.2, by replacing the two engines mounted on the booms with the same Isotta-Fraschini engine that had been used as the central, pusher engine on that design. The prototype flew in late 1916 and was soon put into production. Known by Caproni at the time as the Caproni 450 hp, the Italian Army designated it the Ca.3. In Caproni's postwar renaming, it became the Ca.33. Between 250 and 300 of these aircraft were built, supplying the Italian Army and Navy (the latter using the type as a torpedo bomber), and the French Army. Late in the war, Robert Esnault-Pelterie licence-built an additional 83 (some sources say only 19) aircraft in France.

Note: there is some variation in published sources over early Caproni names. The confusion stems, in part, from three schemes used to label the aircraft – Caproni's in-house designations of the time, those used by the Italian Army and names created after the war by Caproni for past designs.

Description

The Ca.3 was a three-engined biplane of wooden construction, with a fabric-covered frame. The crew of four were placed in an open central nacelle (front gunner, two pilots and rear gunner-mechanic). The rear gunner manned upper machine guns, standing upon the central engine in a protective "cage" in front of a propeller. The fixed conventional undercarriage had double mainwheels under each engine and a tailskid under the extreme tail of each boom. A substantial double nosewheel prevented damaging and dangerous noseovers.

Armament consisted of two to four Revelli 6.5 mm or 7.7 mm machine guns, one in a front ring mount and one, two or sometimes even three in an upper ring mount. Bombs were suspended under the hull.

Operational history

The Ca.1 entered service with the Italian Army in the middle of 1915 and first saw action on 20 August, attacking the Austrian air base at Aisovizza. Fifteen bomber squadrons (1°–15° Squadriglia) were eventually equipped with Ca.1, Ca.2 and Ca.3 bombers, mostly bombing targets in Austro-Hungary. The 12° Squadriglie operated in Libya. In 1918, the 3°, 14° and 15° Squadriglia operated in France.

Apart from the Italian Army, original and licence-built examples were used by France (original Capronis were used in French CAP escadres, licence-built examples in CEP escadres). They were also used by the American Expeditionary Force. There has been some confusion regarding the use of the Ca3 by the British Royal Naval Air Service. The RNAS received six of the larger triplane Ca4s and did not operate the Ca3. The British Ca4s were not used operationally and were returned to Italy after the war. Some of the Ca.36Ms supplied after the war were still in service long enough to see action in Benito Mussolini's first assaults on North Africa.

This plane is also remembered for a tragedy on May 4, 1919, which killed the French General Dr. Milan Rastislav Stefanik, who was the minister of war in the Czechoslovak Republic at the time. The accident occurred at the conclusion of a flight from Campoformido near Udine to Bratislava (capital of Slovakia). On his initial approach, the pilot determined that the ground was too wet to land on, so he increased power to the engines and began to aim the plane to a landing patch further afield which appeared to be dry. While doing so, one of the engines exploded, causing the aircraft to nosedive. General Stefanik and the three Italian crew members were pronounced dead at the scene. A subsequent investigation determined that the most likely cause of engine failure was a failure of the airblast cooling of the engine, probably induced by the increased strain cause by the pilot's sudden demands on the engine after the aborted landing. There were allegations that a Czech anti-aircraft artillery company had fired on the aircraft, either because they mistook the Italian for Hungarian markings or that they had done so as part of a conspiracy to see Gen. Stefanik killed, to prevent him from instigating proposed changes in the Czech government. These allegations were never proven and the failure of the engine's blast cooling is widely accepted as the best explanation for the accident.

Variants

All of the following names were applied after the war. At the time, all were known as the 300 hp by Caproni and the Ca.3 by the Army.

  • Ca.34 and Ca.35 with a modified central nacelle to seat the two pilots in tandem and therefore improve aerodynamics. No production.
  • Ca.36 with removable outer wing panels for ease of storage.
  • Ca.36M or Ca.36 mod (for modificato – "modified") – a lightened and simplified variant put into production after the war. 153 were delivered between 1923 and 1927, 144 of them to the new Regia Aeronautica.
  • Ca.36S – air ambulance version (small number converted from Ca.36Ms).
  • Ca.37 – prototype single-engined two-seat ground attack aircraft.
  • Ca.39 – seaplane version. Prototype CA 211.
  • Ca.56a – airliners created by remanufacturing war-surplus Ca.3s.

Operators

  • Argentina : Argentine Air Force.
  • Kingdom of Italy :
    • Corpo Aeronautico Militare.
    • Regia Aeronautica.
  • France : French Air Force.
  • USA : American Expeditionary Force.

Surviving aircraft and replicas

  • Italy : Ca.36 on static display at the Italian Air Force Museum in Bracciano, Lazio.
  • Slovakia : Reproduction of a Ca.33 on static display since June 2012 in the departure hall of M. R. Štefánik Airport in Bratislava, Bratislava. It is on loan from the Vojenské historické muzeum in Piešťany, Trnava.
  • United States : Unknown ID – Ca.36 on static display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

— — — = = — — —

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Caproni Ca.3 of Wikipedia ( authors )

Caproni Ca.1 to Ca.3

  • Role : Heavy day bomber.
  • National origin : Italy.
  • Manufacturer : Caproni.
  • First flight : Late 1914 (Ca.1 1914).
  • Number built : 162 (Ca.1 1914).
  • Specifications (Ca.1 of 1914)

  • Crew : four.
  • Length : 11.05 m (36 ft 3 in).
  • Height : 3.70 m (12 ft 2 in).
  • Wingspan : 22.74 m (74 ft 7 in).
  • Wing area : 95.6 m² (1,029 ft²).
  • Empty weight : 3,302 kg (7,264 lb).
  • Gross weight : 4,000 kg (8,800 lb).
  • Maximum speed : 120 km/h (75 mph; 65 kts).
  • Range : 550 km (344 miles).
  • Service ceiling : 4,000 m (13,120 ft).
  • Powerplant : Three Fiat A.10.
  • Power : 75 kW (100 hp) each.
  • Armament : Two 6.5 mm FIAT-Revelli machine guns and bombs mounted under the hull.
  • Specifications (Ca.36 of 1916)

  • Crew : four (pilot, co-pilot, front gunner, and rear gunner/mechanic).
  • Length : 11.05 m (36 ft 3 in).
  • Height : 3.7 m (12 ft 2 in).
  • Wingspan : 22.74 m (74 ft 7 in).
  • Wing area : 95.6 m² (1,029 sq ft).
  • Empty weight : 2,300 kg (5,071 lb).
  • Max takeoff weight : 3,800 kg (8,378 lb).
  • Maximum speed : 137 km/h (85 mph; 74 kts).
  • Range : 599 km (372 mi; 323 nmi).
  • Service ceiling : 4,844 m (15,892 ft).
  • Rate of climb : 2.083 m/s (410 ft/min).
  • Powerplant : Three Isotta-Fraschini V.4B 6-cyl. water-cooled in-line piston engines.
  • Power : 112 kW (150 hp) each.
  • Armament : Two 6.5 mm or 7.7 mm FIAT-Revelli machine guns and 800 kg (1,764 lb) of bombs.

— — — = = — — —

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Caproni Ca.3 of Wikipedia ( authors )
Caproni Ca.1 to Ca.3 : Your comments on this subject
Powered by Disqus
Top
Legal Credits FAQ Help Site Map

Terms of use for the services available on this site

By using this Website, Users agree to the following terms of use and rules :

Definitions

  • Webmaster : Head Administrator with all authority over the management and development of the Website.
  • Administrator : Anyone that was given by the Webmaster full or partial access to the Website's structure or with moderation rights on messages posted by Users.
  • User or Visitor : Any person visiting the Website pages.
  • Website : The following provisions apply to a single Website accessible via the www.aircraftube.com, www.aircraftube.org, www.aircraftube.net and www.all-aircraft.com. URL's
  • Service : All free informations and tools contained on the Website.
  • Comments : All text written by users on Blogs and comment pages available on the Website.
  • Media : All media available on or through the Website. One must distinguish the local media (photos, curves, drawings) and the external media (videos) which the Website refers.
  • Purpose of this site

    The purpose of this non-commercial site is purely educational. Reflecting a passion, it is also there to preserve the memory of all those who gave their lives, their health or energy in the name of freedom, aviation safety or simply our passenger comfort.

    Copyright

    Some media may have escaped the vigilance of Administrators with regard to copyrights. If a user reports copyright infringement, he will be asked to prove that he is indeed the rights's owner for the concerned media. If so, his decision on the Administrator's next action will be respected: A total suppression of the Media on the Website, or the addition of some owner's reference. The publication of a media on the internet normally having as a goal to make it visible to many people, the Administrators expect in any case that the second option will be most often chosen.

    Pursuant to the Law on copyright and related rights, the user has the right to download and reproduce information on the Website for personal use and provided that the source is mentionned. They cannot however be used for commercial or advertising purposes.

    Using Blogs and filing comments

  • Moderator : The Administrator reserves the right to prevent the publication of comments that are not directly related to the Service without providing any explanation. Similarly, all insults, out of scope or unethical material will be banned.
  • Identification : Persons wishing to post a comment or use any form of contact are required to provide identification by the means of a valid e-mail address.
  • Responsibilities : Comments are posted on the Website under the unique responsability of their authors and the Administrators may in no case be liable for any statements or claims that the users might have issued.
  • As the comment system is hosted and maintained on servers external to the Website, the Administrators may in no circumstances be held responsible for the use that administrators of these servers or other third parties may have with those comments or filed data.

    Content Liability

    The Administrators carefully check the reliability of the sources used. They cannot, however, guarantee the accuracy of any information contained on the Website, partly because of the multiple sources from which they come.

    JavaScript and cookies - Storing information

    This Website imperatively uses JavaScript and cookies to function properly. Neither of these technologies, or other means shall in no case be used on the Website for the retention or disclosure of personal information about Visitors. Exceptions to this rule will involve storing the Users banned for inappropriate comments they might have given as well as contact information for Users wishing to subscribe to future newsletters.

    When a user accesses the Website, the corresponding servers may automatically collect certain data, such as IP address, date and time of Website access, viewed pages and the type of browser used. This information is kept only for the purpose of measuring the number of visitors to the different sections of the site and make improvements.

    Donations - Advertising

    To continue providing the Service for free, the Webmaster reserves the right to insert advertising or promotional messages on any page of the Site. In the same idea, any donations will only by used to cover the running costs of the site, such as hosting, connection fees, hardware and software necessary for the development and maintenance of the Website.

    Links and other websites

    Administrators shall in no case be liable for the non-availability of websites operated by third parties to which users would access through the Website.

    Administrators assume no liability for any content, advertising, products and/or services available on such third party websites. It is reminded that those sites are governed by their own terms of use.

    Placing a link to third party sites or authorize a third party to include a link on their website refering to this Website does not mean that the Administrators recommend in any way the products or services offered by these websites.

    Modifications

    The Webmaster reserves the right to modify at any time without notification the present terms of use as well as all content or specific functionality that the Website offers.

    The modified terms and conditions immediately apply to the using Visitor when changes come online. Visitors are invited to consult the site regularly on the most current version of the terms and conditions

    Governing Law and Jurisdiction

    These general conditions are governed by Belgian law.

    In case of dispute regarding the interpretation and/or execution of the above terms, the parties agree that the courts of the district of Nivelles, Belgium shall have exclusive jurisdiction power.

    Credits page

    Wikipedia.org

    Wikipedia is a collaboratively edited, multilingual, free Internet encyclopedia.

    Youtube

    YouTube is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, view and share videos.

    Special thanks to all Youtube quality aviation vids providers, specially (Those I forgot, please excuse me or report) :

    Airboyd
    Andys Video
    Aviation videos archives
    Bomberguy
    Classic Aviation TV
    Historical Aviation Film Unit
    Horsemoney
    Jaglavaksoldier
    Joluqa Malta
    Just Planes
    Koksy
    Classic Airliners & Vintage Pop Culture
    Memorial Flight
    Octane130
    Okrajoe
    SDASM archives
    Spottydog4477
    The Aviators TV
    Valentin Izagirre Bengoetxea
    Vexed123
    VonBerlich
    Zenos Warbirds

    Bundesarchiv

    The German Federal Archives or Bundesarchiv are the National Archives of Germany.

    FAQ

    I don't see my comments any more!

    Please note that each page has it's own comment entry. So, if you enter a comment i.e. on the B-747, you will only see it on that related page.

    General comments are accessed via the "BLOG En" button.

    Comments are moderated, so please allow some delay before they appear, specially if you are outside Europe.

    Menus are developing below the page, because they are too long!

    But they remain accessible, for example by scrolling the mouse wheel, or with your finger (on the menu) on a smartphone or tablet.

    I see adds on all videos.

    Use a good free add remover software.

    The site is loading random pages at startup.

    We think it is a good way to bring back the memory of aircraft, persons or events sometimes quite forgotten.

    HELP PAGE

    Why this site?

    Discovery

    This website is dedicated to one's aeronautical passion (which I hope we share) and was realised mainly as an educationnal tool. Knowing that, you'll notice that each new visit brings random topics for the purpose of making new discoveries, some achievements or characters certainly not deserving the oblivion into which they have sometimes fallen.

    By these pages, we also want to pay tribute to all those who gave at one time or another, their lives or health in the name of freedom, aeronautical security or simply our comfort.

    Centralisation

    Internet is full of websites dedicated to aviation, but most are dedicated to subjects or periods that are very limited in space or time. The purpose of this site is to be as general as possible and thus treats all events as well as characters of all stripes and times while putting much emphasis on the most significant achievements.

    The same years saw birth of technologies like photography and cinema, thus permitting illustration of a large part of important aeronautical events from the start. Countless (and sometimes rare) media recently put online by enthousiasts finally give us access to these treasures, but the huge amount of information often makes things a little messy. A centralization effort is obviously most needed at this level.

    All persons who directly or indirectly contributed to the achievement or posting of such documents are here gratefully acknowledged.

    General

    Fluid website

    This site automatically fits the dimensions of your screen, whether you are on a desktop computer, a tablet or a smartphone.

    Bilingual website

    You can change the language by clicking on the flag in the upper left or via "Options" in the central menu. Of course, the videos remain in the language in which they were posted ...

    Browser compatibility

    The site is not optimized, or even designed to run on older browsers or those deliberately deviating from standards. You will most probably encounter display issues with Internet Explorer. In this case, it is strongly recommended installing a modern (and free!) browser that's respecting the standards, like Firefox, Opera, Chrome or Safari.

    Cookies and Javascript

    This site uses cookies and JavaScript to function properly. Please ensure that your browser is configured accordingly. Neither of these technologies, or other means shall in no case be used on the Site for the retention or disclosure of personal information about its Visitors. See the "Legal" page for more on this subject.

    Website layout

    Left menus

    Because of the lack of space on smartphones and small tablets, these menus are hidden. Everything is nevertheless accessible via the main menu option, located between the video and photo sections. This menu is placed there for compatibility reasons with some browsers, which play the videos over the menus.

    "Search" and "Latest" :
    The link "In Titles" restricts the search to the titles of different forms. Use this option if you are looking for a plane, a constructor, a pilot or a particular event that could have been treated as a subject.

    The link "In Stories" will bring you to a search in all texts (the "Story" tab) and will take more time. The search term will appear highlighted in green when opening the corresponding story.

    Would you believe, "Timeline" will show all subjects in chronological order.

    "Random" will reload the entire page with a new random topic.

    The bottom section keeps you abreast of the latest five entries. New topics are added regularly. Don't hesitate to come visit us often : add bookmark.

    Blogs and Comments central section

    Under the photos section comes the comments tabs window :

    You can enter general comments in your own language via one of the two buttons on the left (BLOG EN and BLOG FR). Note that these buttons are accessible regardless of the language to allow some participation in the other language.

    All comments are subject to moderation and will be published only if they comply with the basic rules of decorum, while remaining relevant to the purpose of this site.

    The third tab allows you to enter comments on the shown topic and is bilingual. Personal anecdotes, supplements and other information questions will take place here.

    The "Story" tab shows the explanatory texts. They are most often taken from Wikipedia, a site where we participate regularly.

    The "Data" tab is reserved for list of features and specifications.

    Right menus

    On a smartphone, the lack of space is growing and this menu is moved to the bottom of the page to give priority to videos and pictures.

    The top right icons are links to videos posted by third parties (on their own responsabilities) or by ourselves. The link below these icons will take you to the channel of the one who posted the video. Feel free to suggest other videos if you think they are of some interest (Use the BLOG button or the "Contact" link).