Unlike many other aircraft from the Caproni company, the Ca.166 model was not created for a military order but for civilian purposes. It represented a modification of the PS.1 racing aircraft (registration number I-MELO), which had crashed in Warsaw. The main differences were the engine and a new cockpit. Outwardly, the Ca.166 resembled the S.A.I.2S.
Design and Initial Production
The sole example of the aircraft was built at the Caproni Taliedo factory in 1938 and successfully passed factory tests. It was a standard two-seater low-wing monoplane with retractable landing gear, equipped with an Alfa Romeo 115-I engine producing 190 hp.
In the same year, the Ca.166 received the civil registration number I-ALGU. By 1940, the aircraft was purchased by the Regia Aeronautica and assigned the number MM.400.
Service and Final Fate
The Italian Air Force was interested in the Ca.166 as a liaison or training aircraft. However, interest in it quickly faded, and serial production of the aircraft did not occur. For some time, the Ca.166 was used for auxiliary needs, and in 1943, it was dismantled for scrap.
The Ca.167: A Similar Model
In 1938, another similar aircraft, the Caproni Ca.167, was completed at the Caproni Taliedo factory. No data on this machine has been preserved.
Technical Specifications
| Modification | Ca.166 |
| Upper wingspan, m | 10.80 |
| Length, m | 7.53 |
| Height, m | 2.35 |
| Wing area, m2 | 18.20 |
| Empty weight | 790 |
| Maximum takeoff weight | 1200 |
| Engine type | 1 Piston engine Alfa Romeo 115-I |
| Power, hp | 1 x 190 |
| Maximum speed, km/h | 240 |
| Cruising speed, km/h | 210 |
| Practical range, km | 900 |
| Practical ceiling, m | 6200 |
| Crew, crew | 1-2 |
| Payload | 2-3 passengers |
Image gallery of the Ca.166
