Caproni CDR-10

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carlo961

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In volume 8 of “Gente dell’Aria” by Giorgio Evangelisti published in 2012, there is a description of an italian trimotor called Caproni CDR-10, equipped with three Isotta Fraschini “Delta” RC.41. CDR stands for Caproni-De Bernardi-Rossi. The latter was the engineer Lelio Rossi, former Technical Director of SAI Ambrosini. The project is not dated but probably it has been developed during the WWII, after the departure of Rossi from SAI Ambrosini, despite as Evangelisti point out, there is no evidence that Rossi ever joined Caproni group, so he could have proposed this project to Caproni as “free-lance” engineer.
The aircraft , a fighter/bomber, had a twin-boom layout with a central nacelle. In front of each boom is placed the engine with its tractor propeller, while the central nacelle is equipped with a pusher engine.
The aircraft, had a crew of two, pilot and bomber/gunner, placed ahead of the engine.
No dimensional data are available, while in the description (prepared by eng. Rossi) for the performance it is claimed a maximum speed of 710 km/h, that is a bit exaggerated in my opinion, considering the low power developed by the “Delta” engines.
In the book there is a plan view and the front view of the aircraft, signed by Eng. Rossi, but no side view.
Evangelisti in his book states that this project evolved into a four-engined aircraft, with the fourth engine placed into the nose of the central nacelle.
Does anyone has further info about these two mysterious projects ?
 
As specified in my previous message, in volume 8 of “Gente dell’Aria” by the late Giorgio Evangelisti, there are only front and plan views of the Caproni CDR-10, but the side view is not shown.

Does anyone has a complete three view drawing of this aircraft ?

Thank you very much
 
Caproni CDR-10 Reminds me fighter three engines Imam Ro 67 but with unreliable Isotta Fraschini engines.
 
carlo961 said:
As specified in my previous message, in volume 8 of “Gente dell’Aria” by the late Giorgio Evangelisti, there are only front and plan views of the Caproni CDR-10, but the side view is not shown.

Does anyone has a complete three view drawing of this aircraft ?

Thank you very much
Click to expand...

What is the date for development this project ?.
 
hesham,
in my opinion the CDR-10 could be dated 1942 or 1943, because in the previous years eng. Rossi was Technical Director at SAI Ambrosini.
 
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carlo961 said:
hesham,
in my opinion the CDR-10 could be dated 1942 or 1943, because in the previous years eng. Rossi was Technical Director at SAI Ambrosini.
Click to expand...

Hi Carlo,

that's so weird designation,I thought it belonged to Bergamaschi or IMAM AA.10 project ?!.
 
Hi Hesham,

in my opinion the CDR-10 project has no relation with Caproni Aeronautica Bergamasca or IMAM projects.

The weird designation is just explained in the technical description prepared by eng. Rossi for CDR-10 and present in Caproni archive, in this way:

C=Caproni
D=De Bernardi
R=Rossi

Eng. Lelio Rossi was Production Director at SAI Ambrosini, then according G.C. Valdonio beautilful book "Frecce, Saette, Folgori e Veltri" after the armistice of September 1943 he moved to Caproni Taliedo in Milan and in 1944 was allegedly nominated Technical Director.

It is obscure the role of the famous ace and test pilot Mario De Bernardi in this project. In the forties he resided at Rome, and very unlikely after the armistice he was in Milan.

Incidentally, please note that Caproni since the Thirties had a technical office also in Rome, where the reference point was Mr. Caratti, an able draftsman, but not an engineer.

It is possible that De Bernardi drafted in Rome (or somewhere) a conceptual scheme of the aircraft, submitted it to Caproni (or his office in Rome) and then eng. Rossi had developed it to some extent.

Today the engines layout of CDR-10 appears strange to us, but had been already adopted by the large bombers of the first world war designed and built by Gianni Caproni.

In the early forties this engines layout was again considered, at least in some ‘paper aircraft’, for example in the two aircraft designed by eng. Gaspare Santangelo, the fighter CS (Combattimento Santangelo) and the bomber BS (Bombardamento Santangelo), both never built.

In CDR-10 tecnical description it is stated that the engines to be used shall be Isotta Fraschini Delta” IV Serie RC.41”; this particular version of Delta engine IV Serie is unknown to me, probably it was a special version tailored for this project, with a modified supercharger rated for 4100 meters, hence the designation RC.41.
 
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