Caproni Ca.164

The Caproni Ca.164 was a training biplane produced in Italy shortly before the Second World War, a largely conventional design intended as a follow-on to the Ca.100 and sharing its layout with a slightly smaller upper wing. The prototype, designated Ca.163, was built by Caproni Taliedo and first flown on 17 November 1938, with a steel-tube fuselage, wooden wings and fabric covering. Flight testing showed poor handling characteristics that made it unsuitable for its intended training role. Even so the Regia Aeronautica acquired some 280 Ca.164s for liaison duties in bomber units, and some were pressed into tactical reconnaissance during the Croatian campaign, while the French air force bought 100. No Ca.164 survives, but the Ca.163 prototype is on display at the Gianni Caproni Museum of Aeronautics at Trento Airport.