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Azur 1/72 Caproni-Bergamaschi Ca.310 Libeccio (Royal Norwegian Air Force) by Luca Bossi |
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A parallel development of the Ca.309 Ghibli, the Ca.310 Libeccio (Southwest Wind) was a higher-powered, more advanced version with retractable landing gear. The engines were 430/470 hp Piaggio P.VII RC 16/35 supercharged seven-cylinder radials. Although essentially an export machine, the Ca.310 equipped at least one Stormo of the Regia Aeronautica at the outbreak of the war, replacing Breda 65s as a temporary measure. In addition to a few civil models without the nose transparencies, military Ca.310s were built in quantity, equipping the air forces of Hungary, Norway, and Croatia. Also, a number of Ca.310s found their way to Czechoslovakia and Peru, and served in Spain with the Aviazione Legionaria as reconnaissance aircraft. Some were later used by the Regia Aeronautica in Libya. In the III Raduno Sahariana race (1938), Ca.310s came first, second and third, piloted by Ivo de Vittembeschi, Umberto Maddalena, and Giorgio Parodi. The Ca.310 was structurally and dimensionally very similar to the Ca.309. The fuselage was slightly shorter at 40 ft. 1/4 in. Empty and loaded weights were 6,730 lb and 10,250 lb. Although a number of Libeccios were built without armament, the standard array was three 7.7-mm machine guns, one flexible dorsal gun and two fixed forward-firing guns in the wing roots. Bomb load was 880 lb. Maximum speed was 218-227 mph. depending on the engines and equipment, with a cruising speed of 177-196 mph, and a landing speed of 65 mph. The Ca.310 had a ceiling of 22,960 ft and a range of 745-1025 miles. It climbed to 6,560 ft in 6 min 40 sec, to 13,120 ft in 12 min 23 sec, and to 16,400 ft in 15 min 32 sec. Additional models of the Libeccio were the twin-float Ca.310 idro and the Ca.310bis, which was the prototype of the Ca 311 production machine, featuring an all-transparent, unstepped nose. |
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This is the AZUR 1/72 Caproni Ca 310 Lillestrom 1938. The subject is one of the first four ordered in 1938. The purchase was paid for with the income from the clipfish export to Italy, and the planes were therefore quickly nicknamed the "clipfish bomber". Due to the technical problems encountered, in particular poor power, vibrations, difficult take-off due to the torque caused by the rotation of the propellers (same direction), poor defensive and attack armaments, code number 501-503-505-507 remained abandoned to the elements. At the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940 the bomb wing with four Ca 310 was stationed on Sola as part of the neutrality guard. The photos available show two of these planes outside the old tower and expedition building. Three were operational, while one was in for maintenance. During the German attack on the airport, two of the planes took to the air, while the third was hit by a bomb while it was about to take off. One of the planes in flight made an emergency landing at Nærbø (30 km south of Sola) while the other flew to Eastern Norway and finally landed at Vangsmjøsa (300 km NE.). Later two were modified with skies and survived the German attacks after numerous transfers to airfields and concealments. Colours and Markings It consists of the Italian three-color scheme probably repainted in Norway. I had as a reference some photos taken from the internet and from the publications shown at the bottom. The colors used are the ITALERI, in particular: - camouflage yellow 3 - 4645AP - camouflage green 2 - 4723AP - light hazelnut brown 4643AP - light gray 4762AP References - Ali D'Italia n.24 – Caproni 311- 314.- La Bancarella Aeronautica - Collection of Photos |
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Aircraft: Caproni-Bergamaschi Ca.310 Manufacturer: Caproni Aeronautica Bergamasca Type: Reconnaissance/Light Bomber Year: 1937 Engine: Two Piaggio P.VII RC 35, 7-cylinder radial, air-cooled, 470 hp each Wingspan: 53 ft 10 in (16.40 m) Length: 40 ft 01/4 in (12.20 m) Height: 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) Weight: 10,472 lb (4,750 kg) (Loaded) Maximum Speed: 227 mph (365 km/h) Ceiling: 19,685 ft (6,000 m) Range: 1,050 miles (1,690 km) Armament: 3 machine guns 7.7mm Breda-SAFAT; 880 lb (400 kg) of bombs Crew: 3
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