The Caproni CA-60 was made as a cross between a house-boat and a plane. This 1920 triple-wing monstrosity used three sets of
triplane wings left over from WW1 bombers, bolted to a 100 {!} passenger flying boat hull. It had twice the wing area of a B-52 bomber
and weighed 55,000 pounds. The 9000 square foot wings were equipped with ailerons and the rear set were elevators. Power was by
eight 400 hp American Liberty engines in pusher and tractor sets, ten times as much as the average passenger aircraft of the time.
Miraculously, this machine DID fly the first time in 1921- it reached a heigth of 60 feet, collapsed, and plummetted toward the lake
just after take off, killing both pilots. The test pilot was named Semprini. It was "mysteriously" destroyed in a fire while undergoing
repairs. Despite it's massive size, it was merely a prototype for a 150 seater designed to cross the Atlantic.