Caproni CH.1

The Caproni CH.1 was a single-seat biplane fighter, a single example of which was produced as a prototype in Italy in 1935.

Design

Antonio Chiodi began design work on a new single-seat fighter in 1934 as a private venture of the Caproni company. He designed the Caproni CH.1—"CH" standing for "Chiodi"—an aerodynamically clean single-bay biplane of all-metal construction with fabric skin and wings of equal span. The aircraft had spatted landing gear. The cockpit was enclosed, with a canopy that opened by sliding to the rear.

Chiodi intended the CH.1 to be powered by a Gnome-Rhône 14Kfs Mistral Major 14-cylinder radial engine rated at 581 kW (779 hp) at 4,750 meters (15,584 feet) but instead the aircraft was constructed with a Piaggio Stella P.IX R.C.40 9-cylinder radial rated at rated at 417 kW (559 hp) at 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) driving a three-bladed, variable-pitch propeller.

The CH.1's proposed armament was two fixed forward-firing 7.7-millimeter (0.303-inch) Breda-SAFAT machine guns synchronized to fire through the propeller.

Cessna CH-1 Skyhook

The Cessna CH-1 Skyhook is the only helicopter ever built by the Cessna Aircraft Company. It was the first helicopter to land on the summit of Pike's Peak and the last piston-engined helicopter to set the helicopter altitude record. The CH-1 had a single, two-bladed main rotor, and a front-mounted reciprocating engine which gave the aircraft a stable center-of-gravity (CG). Its semi-monocoque airframe greatly resembles its light airplane siblings built by Cessna. The CH-1 was named Skyhook for the civil market, similar to the marketing names used in the Cessna single engine airplane line, such as Skyhawk, Skylane and Skywagon. The United States Army designated the CH-1C as the YH-41 Seneca. While the CH-1 achieved several helicopter "firsts" and set a world record, it never became a commercial or military success.

Development

Cessna Aircraft Company acquired the Seibel Helicopter Company of Wichita, Kansas on 14 January 1952 through a stock swap with Seibel investors. All equipment from the Seibel Helicopter Company, including the Seibel S-4B, was moved to Cessna's Pawnee Plant in Wichita and work began on the CH-1 design during the summer of 1952. Charles Seibel, who became the new Helicopter Division's chief engineer as part of the acquisition, believed that the S-4B with a Cessna body would make an excellent helicopter. Cessna pilots test flew Seibel's S-4B for several months to familiarize the engineers with helicopters, and then it was scrapped.