Caproni Ca . 101 The Caproni Ca . 101 was a three engine Italian airliner which later saw military use as a transport and bomber . It was designed in 1927 and first flown in 1928 . Design and development . The Ca . 101 was a derivative of the Caproni Ca . 97 , with an enlarged airframe , which increased the payload from 574 kg ( 1 , 265 lb ) to 800 kg ( 1 , 760 lb ) . This made the payload 20 % of the maximum weight , compared to only 9 % for the Ca . 74G , which was heavier , smaller and inferior in performance . Initially planned as a civil airliner , it was soon converted to the bomber / transport role . The aircraft was a typical 1920 ' s design . It had three engines , one in the nose and one under each wing , high wings and a fixed undercarriage . The fuselage , of quadrangular cross - section , was made of steel tubes covered with fabric , as were the wings and tail . The floor was made of wood . Initially fitted with the 149 kW ( 200 hp ) Armstrong Siddeley Lynx driving a two - bladed metal propeller 2 . 88 m ( 9 . 45 ft ) in diameter . The 1 , 200 l ( 317 US gal ) fuel tank was located in the upper part of the central fuselage . Fuel was fed to the engines by means of copper pipes . All three engines had 44 L ( 12 US gal ) of oil in a tank located behind the engine . The compressed air and fire extinguisher systems were also centrally located . A variety of engines were used , sometimes with a composite layout : Piaggio P . VII ( 276 kW / 370 hp ) , Alfa Romeo Jupiter ( 313 kW / 420 hp ) , and other models of 179 kW ( 240 hp ) and 201 kW ( 270 hp ) . Exports of the Ca . 101 were made to Australia , China and Paraguay . Hungary bought 20 aircraft for use as air - mail aircraft . The Ca . 101bis , designed for use in Italy ' s colonies , was slightly larger ( 56 m² / 603 ft² wing area , 19 . 7 m / 64 . 6 ft span and 13 . 54 m / 44 . 42 ft length ) and heavier than the original model . It had an empty weight of 3 , 000 kg ( 6 , 610 lb ) , and a payload of 1 , 986 kg ( 4 , 378 lb ) . It was fitted with an Alfa Romeo Jupiter in the nose , and an Armstrong Siddeley Lynx under each wing , giving it over 597 kW ( 800 hp ) in total . The ceiling was improved to 5 , 500 m ( 18 , 045 ft ) , but the greater drag and weight reduced the maximum speed to 205 km / h ( 127 mph ) , and the endurance to only six hours . The D2 version , was produced replacing the motors with three more powerful Alfa Romeo D . 2 motors . In operations in Eritrea , they guaranteed good performance in the tropics . From the opening of the hostilities in East Africa in 1935 , various versions of the Ca . 101 came used for all the conflict , carrying out tactical support missions for the infantry and bombing . The D . 2 version , in particular , operated with the 14th Bomber Flight " " Hic Sunt Leones " " and 15th Bomber Flight " " La Disperata " " of the 4th Bombers Squadron . A further development was the Ca . 102 , with the original airframe , but only two Bristol Jupiter engines , fitted with four - blade propellers , delivering 746 kW ( 1 , 000 hp ) . This greatly enhanced the performance of the aircraft , almost to the level of the three - engined Ca . 133 . It had a maximum speed of 234 km / h ( 145 mph ) , ceiling of 6 , 000 m ( 19 , 690 ft ) , payload of 1 , 800 kg ( 3 , 968 lb ) and an empty weight of 2 , 500 kg ( 5 , 510 lb ) . The Ca . 102 carried an additional 600 L ( 159 US gal ) of fuel in a mid - fuselage tank under the passenger seats . The removal of the engine in the nose made the aircraft more aerodynamic , improved visibility for the pilots , and allowed the fitting of four machine gun s . Its long slim nose , housing the bomb - sight , gained it the nickname " Pinocchio " . An interesting development was the Ca . 102quarter , a four - engine variant , with two engines on each wing , one facing forwards , the other backwards , all with two - blade propellers . Only one model was built , as performance was unimpressive . Operational service . The " Regia Aeronautica " ordered 72 Ca . 101 and 34 Ca . 102 . These aircraft served with 8 and 9 Wing ( Ca . 102 ) and 7 Wing ( Ca . 101 ) . Though the Ca . 102 was more advanced , only the Ca . 101 served in the Second Italo - Abyssinian War . Though vulnerable to small - arms fire , the aircraft proved generally effective . Several were also used as airliners , flying from Italy to Africa . In 1939 , the " Regia Aeronautica " retired their Ca . 101 ' s . The Ca . 102 ' s were apparently retired before that , possibly because the twin - engine layout gave less overall reliability .