Count Gianni Caproni di Taliedo designed many wonderful aircraft and even owned or sat on the boards of of some 20 of Italy's best known aircraft companies in the 20s and 30s.

In 1932 Caproni financed and built this amazing ducted-fan flying barrel that was designed by the controversial Italian designer Luigi Stipa.

This- ugliest of all airplanes- bizarre and ungainly are a couple more good descriptions- was used to investigate the characteristics of the 'Ducted-Fan propulsion unit in conjunction with the 'Hollow-Chord fuselage.'

The original Flying Barrel and an old rough plan. (RH) Dave shows of the engine for the large version.

Old photo of the full scale Caproni Stipa Flying Barrel

This is the 65% scale version of the Flying Barrel

Interesting stuff about about Ducted Fans:

A ducted fan is a propulsion arrangement whereby a propeller is mounted within a cylindrical shroud or duct. The duct prevents losses in thrust from the tips of the propeller and, if the duct has an airfoil cross-section, it can provide additional thrust of its own. Ducted fan propulsion is used in aircraft, airboats and hovercraft. A kind of ducted fan, known as a fantail or by the trademark name Fenestron, is also used to replace tail rotors on helicopters.

In aircraft applications, ducted fans normally have more and shorter blades than propellers and thus can operate at higher rotational speeds. The operating speed of an un shrouded propeller is limited since tip speeds approach the sound barrier at lower speeds than an equivalent ducted propeller. The higher rotational speed of a ducted fan may require a gearbox when used with piston engines, which adds weight and negates some of the advantages. Instead, electric or Wankel rotary engines are the preferred method of power, and efficient home-made examples exist for both. A turbine can also be used to power the fan; in this configuration the ducted fan is referred to as a turbofan. Ducted fans usually have an odd number of blades to prevent resonance in the duct.

Advantages

* By reducing propeller blade tip losses and directing its thrust towards the back only, the ducted fan is more efficient in producing thrust than a conventional propeller at low speeds (normally considered under 80 knots or approximately 90 miles per hour for an aircraft).

* Ducted fans are quieter than propellers: they shield the blade noise, and reduce the tip speed and intensity of the tip vortices both of which contribute to noise production.

* Ducted fans can allow for a limited amount of thrust vectoring, something normal propellers are not well suited for. This allows them to be used instead of tilt rotors in some applications.

Disadvantages

At higher speeds (above about 80 knots), the presence of the duct may create more drag than the extra thrust it provides and therefore its comparative advantage to an open prop is reduced.

USES

Ducted fans are favored in VTOL and other low-speed designs such as hovercraft for their higher thrust-to-weight ratio.
Among model aircraft hobbyists, the ducted fan is popular with builders of high-performance radio controlled model aircraft. Internal-combustion glow engines combined with ducted-fan units were the first achievable means of modeling a scaled-size jet aircraft. Despite the introduction of model-scale (miniature jet engine) turbines, ducted fans remain popular today as they are more affordable, and because ducted fans are compatible with electric-powered flight systems.

CAPRONI-MORONI C2 "SCUD" EXPERIMENTAL FIGHTER

When the tide of war turned against it, Fascist Italy turned with the tide. The C2, or "SCUD," was one direct result. The engineers of Aeronautico Piccolino Abagano Elari Quattori in Turin were charged with designing an aircraft of modern fighter type that could, should word come in mid-air of another change in Italian allegiance, instantly reverse course and become part of the now friendly force.

Thus the unique two-engine configuration, central cockpit with swivel seat and dual controls facing fore and aft. Time for the SCUD (mean "Scuderia con curso il travala," or "turncoat") to switch directions and sides was set a less than two minutes from a top speed of 265 mph by air force consultants. This performance criterion was never tested, much less met, since pilots refused to attempt it, except on the ground with an ambulance close by. One pilot did take the sole SCUD prototype aloft, but once airborne decided to visit his mother in Salerno and wrecked the craft crash-landing on a nearby beach. The SCUD was painted gold by artisans formerly employed in upkeep of the Sistine Chapel.

A remarkable feature of the plane, considering its fighter designation, was it total lack of armament. The designers successfully resisted all attempts to ruin its unbroken lines with ugly guns. (from Bruce McCall's Zany Afternoons)

Specifications for the Caproni-Stipa

Crew: 1 or 2 Length: 18 ft 3 in Wingspan: 46 ft 10 in Height: 9 ft 10 in Loaded weight: 1,760 lb Powerplant: 1× de Havilland Gipsy III inline piston engine, 120 hp Propellers: 1 propeller Performance Maximum speed: 81 mph Landing speed: 42 mph

A: Humped surfaces around the cockpits would have seriously impeded the view of pilot and passenger unless they leaned to one side.	B: The Stipa's pilot and passenger had to sit in cockpits perched atop the fuselage.	C: Stipa claimed that the outer fuselage was profiled to generate lift. It was said that this contributed 37 percent of the total.	D: The Caproni-Stipa replica made only a few short hops before being placed on static display in Australia.