Capelis XC-12
Encyclopedia
The Capelis XC-12 was a failed 1933 aircraft
design that most notably was used as a non-flying prop
in the 1939 film Five Came Back
with Chester Morris and Lucille Ball, the 1942 movie, The Flying Tigers
, starring John Wayne
, and the 1942–1943 movie, Immortal Sergeant
with Henry Fonda, Thomas Mitchell and Maureen O'Hara. It resembled a Beech 18 and featured unusual twin horizontal tail structures supported by several vertical surfaces.
Funded by local Greek restaurateurs as a promotional aircraft, and constructed with help from University of California students. US patent #1,745,600 issued to Socrates H Capelis, of El Cerrito, in 1930 (a modified application for patent of the design with a half-span dorsal wing and two more engines appears in 1932). The main spar was bolted together, and much of the skin attached with P-K screws rather than rivets. These tended to vibrate loose, requiring tightening or replacing every few flights, and constituted a safety hazard that grounded the airplane. Promotional tours were soon abandoned, and its career ended as a movie prop, appearing in ground roles in a number of motion pictures during WW2, when flyable airplanes had more important uses. Flying shots in films were of a model; the plane itself was grounded by the studio's insurance company. The airplane itself is thought to have been scrapped in 1943, but the model was used in several later films.
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
design that most notably was used as a non-flying prop
Theatrical property
A theatrical property, commonly referred to as a prop, is an object used on stage by actors to further the plot or story line of a theatrical production. Smaller props are referred to as "hand props". Larger props may also be set decoration, such as a chair or table. The difference between a set...
in the 1939 film Five Came Back
Five Came Back
Five Came Back is a 1939 melodrama and a precursor of the disaster film genre. The film was directed by John Farrow, photographed by renowned film noir cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca, and written by Jerry Cady, Dalton Trumbo and Nathanael West....
with Chester Morris and Lucille Ball, the 1942 movie, The Flying Tigers
Flying Tigers (film)
Flying Tigers is a 1942 black-and-white war film, starring John Wayne and John Carroll as mercenary fighter pilots fighting the Japanese in China prior to the U.S. entry into World War II....
, starring John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
, and the 1942–1943 movie, Immortal Sergeant
Immortal Sergeant
Immortal Sergeant is a 1943 war film set in the North African desert during World War II. It stars Henry Fonda as a corporal lacking in confidence in both love and war, Maureen O'Hara as his girlfriend, and Thomas Mitchell as the title character...
with Henry Fonda, Thomas Mitchell and Maureen O'Hara. It resembled a Beech 18 and featured unusual twin horizontal tail structures supported by several vertical surfaces.
Funded by local Greek restaurateurs as a promotional aircraft, and constructed with help from University of California students. US patent #1,745,600 issued to Socrates H Capelis, of El Cerrito, in 1930 (a modified application for patent of the design with a half-span dorsal wing and two more engines appears in 1932). The main spar was bolted together, and much of the skin attached with P-K screws rather than rivets. These tended to vibrate loose, requiring tightening or replacing every few flights, and constituted a safety hazard that grounded the airplane. Promotional tours were soon abandoned, and its career ended as a movie prop, appearing in ground roles in a number of motion pictures during WW2, when flyable airplanes had more important uses. Flying shots in films were of a model; the plane itself was grounded by the studio's insurance company. The airplane itself is thought to have been scrapped in 1943, but the model was used in several later films.
Filmography
- Five Came BackFive Came BackFive Came Back is a 1939 melodrama and a precursor of the disaster film genre. The film was directed by John Farrow, photographed by renowned film noir cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca, and written by Jerry Cady, Dalton Trumbo and Nathanael West....
(RKO) 1939 (airplane and model)
- Flying Blind (Paramount) 1941 (model)
- King of the ZombiesKing of the Zombies- Plot :During World War II, a small plane somewhere over the Caribbean runs low on fuel and is blown off course by a storm. Guided by a faint radio signal, they crash-land on an island. The passenger, his manservant and the pilot take refuge in a mansion owned by a doctor...
(Monogram) 1941
- Flying TigersFlying TigersThe 1st American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force in 1941–1942, famously nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was composed of pilots from the United States Army , Navy , and Marine Corps , recruited under presidential sanction and commanded by Claire Lee Chennault. The ground crew and headquarters...
(Republic) 1942 (airplane and model)
- Adventures of the Flying CadetsAdventures of the Flying CadetsAdventures of the Flying Cadets is a 1943 Universal film serial.-Cast:*Johnny Downs as Cadet Danny Collins*Bobby Jordan as Cadet Jinx Roberts*Ward Wood as Cadet Scrapper McKay*William Benedict as Cadet Zombie Parker...
(Universal) 1943 (model)
- Immortal SergeantImmortal SergeantImmortal Sergeant is a 1943 war film set in the North African desert during World War II. It stars Henry Fonda as a corporal lacking in confidence in both love and war, Maureen O'Hara as his girlfriend, and Thomas Mitchell as the title character...
(20th Century Fox) 1942/1943 (airplane and model)
- Invisible AgentInvisible AgentInvisible Agent is a 1942 science fiction film from Universal. This movie was a war-time propaganda production that was part of a Hollywood effort to boost morale at the home front. It loosely echoed a series of formula war-horror films produced during this period that typically featured a mad...
(Universal) 1942
- Night Plane from ChungkingNight Plane from ChungkingNight Plane from Chungking is an American war film released by Paramount Pictures, and is a remake of Paramount's earlier film Shanghai Express ....
(Paramount) 1943
- Wings over the Pacific (Monogram) 1943 (model)
- Action in ArabiaAction in ArabiaAction in Arabia is a 1944 film starring George Sanders and Virginia Bruce. The film was written by Philip MacDonald and Herbert J. Biberman, and directed by Leonide Moguy. The supporting cast includes Gene Lockhart and Robert Armstrong, and the plot involves trouble and intrigue with the Nazis...
(RKO) 1944
- Dick Tracy's DilemmaDick Tracy's DilemmaDick Tracy's Dilemma is a 1947 film starring Ralph Byrd as Dick Tracy. It is the third part of the Dick Tracy quadrilogy.-Plot summary:...
(RKO) 1947 The airplane is shown in this movie. It is somewhat dismantled, but definitely not scrapped
- Daredevils of the Clouds (Republic) 1948 (model)
- Tarzan's Magic FountainTarzan's Magic FountainTarzan's Magic Fountain is a 1949 Tarzan film starring Lex Barker as Tarzan and Brenda Joyce as his companion Jane. The film also features Albert Dekker and Evelyn Ankers, was co-written by Curt Siodmak, and directed by Lee Sholem....
(RKO) 1949 (model)
- On the Isle of Samoa (Columbia) 1950 (model)
- China GateChina GateChina Gate may refer to:* China Gate , a Hindi film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi* China Gate , a Hollywood film directed by Samuel Fuller and starring Gene Barry and Angie Dickinson...
(Globe Enterprises) 1957 (model)
Specifications
- Engines: Two 525hp Wright Cyclone
- Span: 55'0"
- Length: 42'0"
- Load: 3000#
- Designed by Dr John E Younger. All-metal; triple biplane tail; partly retracting gear, which extended automatically when the throttle was closed.