Bonomi BS.17 Allievo Cantù

Aeronautica Bonomi · Italy · first flew 1934 · glider

The Bonomi BS.17 Allievo Cantù (Cantù student) was a single-seat training glider, designed and built in Italy in 1934 and widely used by flying clubs.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × none, embedded-mounted
F — Fuselage	Wings carried over the fuselage on a cross-braced trapezoidal structure with an asymmetric faired V-strut each side
T — Tail	Conventional

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Rectangular wings with clipped aileron tips, mounted without dihedral
Wings carried over the fuselage on a cross-braced trapezoidal structure with an asymmetric faired V-strut each side
Large balanced angular rudder working in a cut-out between the elevators

A plywood-skinned rectangular-section fuselage with an open, unscreened single-seat cockpit under the wing leading edge, and a landing skid on a curved frame under the fuselage.

Specifications

The Bonomi BS.17 Allievo Cantù has a length of 6.37 m (21 ft).
It has a wingspan of 10.5 m (34 ft).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

It was intended to complement the successful BS.16 primary glider by giving the performance needed to take new pilots beyond the A certificate. It used the BS.16 wings and central support structure with a new conventional fuselage.

Variants

It was derived from the BS.16 primary glider, using the same wings but with a new fuselage, different wing struts and a different empennage.

Where you'll see it

The Allievo Cantù was well received by Italian gliding clubs, who used it to take novice pilots to their B certificate and beyond. More than one hundred were sold.

Related aircraft

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