4 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Calif A 21 S: Moritz Driver· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2. Calif-Serre-Poncon: Bertrand Labévue· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 3. Caproni Calif A-21 S inflight: Moritz Driver· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 4. Caproni Calif A-21 S Klappensystem: Moritz Driver· CC BY-SA 4.0
what is it?
The Caproni Vizzola Calif was a family of Italian sailplanes, the first example flew in 1969, with production continuing into the 1970s and 1980s. Of typical sailplane configuration with T-tails, they featured distinctive wings with centre sections of constant chord and trapezoidal outer panels. The forward fuselage was constructed of fibreglass over an alloy frame, while the rear fuselage, wings, and empennage were metal-covered.
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 57 years ago, in 1969.
- Top speed is 2.0× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 20.4 m: about 5 cars parked nose to tail.
no engine: No engine: it glides on rising air.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1969
- number built
- —
- role
- 2-seat sailplane
- engines
- none (glider)
- length
- 7.8 m
- wingspan
- 20.4 m
- height
- 1.6 m
- max take-off weight
- 644 kg
- top speed
- 255 km/h
- range
- —
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q5036322, Wikipedia: Caproni Vizzola Calif (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.