The Caproni Ca.73 was an inverted
sesquiplane with a
biplane tail, a rigid central section, and powered by a pair of engines mounted in a
push-pull configuration within a common
nacelle that was mounted on
struts in the interplane gap above the
fuselage. The fuselage was positioned wholly below the lower wing, an arrangement that was considered to be less prone to accidents during landings as well as being fairly
buoyant in the event of a forced landing upon water. Considerable reinforcement of the base of the fuselage was present so that the aircraft could better cope with such landings. This armament consisted of three
machine guns for self-defence; one was mounted in the
bow, another was behind the cell, and the final was underneath the cell. The firing fields of these three guns overlapped, enabling total coverage of every point of the airspace around the aircraft. The aircraft was typically powered by a pair of
Isotta Fraschini Asso 500 engines, each capable of generating up to 500 hp, that were mounted in a
tandem push-pull configuration within a common
nacelle that was mounted on
struts in the interplane gap above the
fuselage to form a sturdy yet simplistic central structure. In terms of its flying characteristics, the aircraft was considered to be relatively easy to operate, possessing flight controls that were both quite responsive and fairly light, the latter being achieved via the suitable balancing of the
ailerons and
rudder. The aircraft's climb performance was also considered to be relatively good for the era; while carrying a useful payload of 2,300 kg (5,070 lb.), it could attain 1,000 m in seven minutes, 2,000 m in 14 minutes and 30 seconds, 3,000 m in 23 minutes; 4,000 m in 37 minutes, and 5,000 m in 66 minutes. ==Operational history==