Caproni Ca.60 Transaereo

Caproni · Italy · first flew 1921 · airliner

The Caproni Ca.60 Transaereo was an extraordinary Italian flying boat of 1921, conceived to carry 100 passengers across the Atlantic. It featured three tandem triplane wing clusters — nine wings in total — and was powered by eight engines. Engine count is capped at 4 in this record; actual count was 8.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	4 × piston, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	22.6 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Triple-triplane flying boat with eight engines (capped display: 4)
Nine wings arranged in three triplane clusters
Crashed on second flight, 1921 — only flying boat of its scale in era

Absolutely unmistakable: a massive boat-hulled flying machine with three groups of three wings, eight tractor and pusher engines, and an overall span giving it the appearance of a layered aerial raft.

Specifications

The Caproni Ca.60 Transaereo has a length of 22.6 m (74 ft).
It has a wingspan of 30.5 m (100 ft).
Typical crew: 8, up to 100 intended passengers.

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

History

Designed by Gianni Caproni and constructed on Lake Maggiore, the Ca.60 made its first flight on 2 March 1921, rising briefly to about 18 metres before losing control and crashing into the lake. Salvaged and being repaired, it was destroyed by fire shortly afterwards, likely by arson. No further examples were built.

Variants

Only a single example was constructed; no variants existed.

Where you'll see it

The Ca.60 never entered service and never carried paying passengers. It remains one of aviation's most audacious and ill-fated experimental designs.

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