Alerts Sign-up
The 1930s marked a period of significant advancements in aviation, with numerous innovative designs emerging. Among these was the Italian Stipa-Caproni, a unique aircraft featuring a tubular fuselage with a piston engine at its center. This design has been viewed by some as an early form of jet engine technology. The Stipa-Caproni was developed by aeronautical engineer Luigi Stipa and the aircraft manufacturer Caproni.
Stipa's understanding of thermodynamics and the Venturi effect—a phenomenon where fluid pressure decreases as it flows through a constricted section—led him to theorize that an aircraft utilizing this principle could achieve higher speeds than conventional designs of that era. After conducting wind tunnel experiments, Stipa concluded that constructing a full-scale prototype with a tube-shaped fuselage was feasible, though practical application would require larger aircraft.
In 1931, the Kingdom of Italy approved the project, resulting in the construction of a prototype ready for testing by October 1932. Both Stipa and the Italian Air Ministry recognized that the project aimed to test theoretical concepts rather than lead to further development.
