Aerei Italiani
Correva l'anno 1937 Vi proponiamo un interessante articolo apparso su "Flight" ottobre 1937:
MILAN REVIEW
Being an Account of a Flying Visit to a First-rate Aero Show: Italy's 260 m.h.p. Bombers: Record-breakers and Transports By H.F. King
The imposing display does not, by any means, idicate the size of the exhibition, for, quite apart from the hundereds of yard of accessory stands there in anither great hall of aircraft and engines.In the section shown may be descrived three Fiats (left) and German offering (right). The unfriendly looking aeroplane in the central picture above is the Caproni C.a135 bomber.The camouflage scheme is a multi-coloured one consisting of red, grey, yellow and green.
ITALY'S great crusade for air records symbolises
the renaissance of her aircraft industry. The world today is rapidly becoming
Savoia, Cant, Breda and Macchi conscious.
But there still remain those who doubt whether the brilliance of these weight-lifting,
far- and fast-flying champions is reflected in Italy's standard products, for
it is the quality of these which ultimately determines a country's place in
the aircraft markets of the world.
Disregarding the gratuitous opinions of the unqualified dogmatiser's (who have
infested our industry for long enough) and equipped with a week-end case and
a return to Milan, I settled into the "smoker" of a Frankfurt-bound
Junkers determined to assess, as well as I was able, the virtues'and shortcomings
of ltaly's newest aeroplanes and engines. A representative selection of these,
together with some novelties from other countries, was to be shown at the Second
International Aeronautical Salon (literal interpretation) then about to be staged
at the Palazzo dello Sport, Milan.
Now Milan, as the transport pilot flies,
is something like 750 miles from Croydon, lying (why are cities so lethargic)
to the left of Turin as one glides down into Italy from the Alps, which string
out across the country like an uneven threshold.
The well-beaten air trail to Milan is curiousiy round about, for Frankfurt is
many a long mile off the direct route. But one has no quarrel, for the trip
(via Brussels) is not with<;mt interest. A likeable machine is the JU.52
; not fast, not slow, not pretty, not ugly; not quiet, not deafening; not stereotyped
and not a freak-just a very sound aeroplane. We growled purposefully along to
Frankfurt, stopping for a coffee at Brussels, where Foxe3 and Fireflies were
sunning themselves and thundering away at helicopterish angles under the urge
of Kestrels and Hispanos. And so over the hills to Frankfurt.
It was curious, but I was intensely impressed by the hct that this magnificent
aerodrome had literally been hacked out of dense forest; the "triumph of
man over nature" line had not entered my mind for an instant as the world
slid by under the corrugated wings of the Junkers.
The pause at Frankfurt gave kaleidoscopic views of the great Zeppelin hangar, a practical layout of offices in fine modern buildings, luggage-lorry drivers trying to emulate Caracciola, white fountains spurting before the airport beer garden, an array of Junkers, Heinkels, and Klemms, and the sturdy new Savoia which was to carry us over into Italy.
As one of the primary objects of the trip was to study Italian aircraft, a few words about this Savoia will not be out of place. It looked rugged (in the American sense) and had a most attractive interior smelling faintly of new upholstery. The engines were of the Alfa-built Pegasus type, fully supercharged for trans-Alpine work, and the undercarriage was fixed but well faired, comparatively narrow in track.
Fully laden, the take-off was not impressively short, in spite of the Hamilton-type airscrews, though we were up over the stump-pocked boundary with plenty of room to spare. The long haul up to the Alps was continuous climbing, and within half an hour the steward (quite incongruous in a soiled mechanic's uniform) was round with a bag of mouthpieces for the oxygen pipes, one for each seat.
The Romeo Ro.51 fighter on left is one of the few military models with a fixed undercarriage. Beyond is the Breda 82 bomber, wich the makers say, is as fast as a Blenheim.
Above fourteen thousand feet there was a general hibernation into blankets and overcoats, and eighteen little oxygen regulators clicked round. And so along up to what the· steward vouchsafed was "sigs thousand maters." Cold, grey peaks once or twice pierced the cloud blanket, and at times there was a glimpse of seemingly bottomless chasms dropping down into the beauty which is Switzerland. Then things got quieter and warmer,. and we slipped through the clouds over the murky Italian plain. There was a folding of blankets, a putting-on of hats; three throttle levers came back, and we whistled banking down over the flats of Milan, glimpsing the lake by the aerodrome which one day, when the new aerodrome beyond is ready, will be used for flying boat services.
Soon I was quite thawed out and ready for work. Through the courtesy of Signor Gustavo Montanaro, who spends his time arranging such affairs, I was able to gain access to the show before the official opening, which was scheduled to be performed by the Duke of Aosta and H.E. General Valle, Under-Secretary of State for Air. And let it be said that the exhibition is worthy of such illus trious patronage For the benefit of the sensible people who intend to drop in for a day or two, the duration is October 2-II.
The Piaggio P.32 bomber (left) has a peculiar high-lift device permitting a strikingly short span. On the right the golden Breda 65 fighter-attack machine is caught taking off at a very tail-up attitude.
Now, the first thing one is expected to do at any aero show is to look for a keynote. The precise definition of a keynote is lost in the mists of olden-day journalism, but it is generally taken to be some manner of theme or trait. It is not to be confused with a trend, which is linear and not aura!.
Fortes, pieces de resistance, and high-spots were there in abundance, but the keynote-yes, the keynote-was indubitably the high-speed bombers.
Caproni, Breda, Piaggio, Fiat, and Junkers all made contributions, but the first-named trio were the more interesting because they represented the "small-medium" formula as typified in this country by the Blenheim.
The Caproni effort, the Ca.135, is of Blenheim layout, though it has liquid-cooled Isotta-Fraschini XI R.C.40 veetwelves giving a combined output of 1,800 h p., or a little more power than the Blenheim's Mercurys The disposable load (6.338 lb.) compares favourably with the Bristol's (4,621 lb.), but the top speed at 260 m.p.h. is 20 m.p.h. or more to the bad. The Ca.135 is said to land at 73 m.p.h. The example on view had a good deal of dummy equipment and windows, although (possibly because) it is in production as standard equipment fer the Regia Aeronautica. There is a forward gun (the Blenheim's is fixed) which moves in a slit and must have a very restricted field of fire, and additional armament in retractable positions above' and below the fuselage. With supplementary tanks and an unspecified bomb load the range is over 2,000 miles.
The twin rudders considering modern practice are very closely spaced.
The Breda bomber (type 82) has the following characteristics: Disposable ,load 7,500 lb., top speed 279 m.p.h. (this does seem faster, than one might have guessed), and theoretical (a popular continental adjective) ceiling 31,000 odd feet.
Radials-1,000 h.p. Fiat A.80 RC 41 two-rows-are specified; these have flapped cowls and Hamilton-type air~ screws. Features are ventral bomb stowage, twin rudders. slotted flaps and drooping ailerons. Without a doubt, the Breda 82 is a very offensive weapon.
Tha Caproni Ca.134 is the latest word in Italian military biplanes. Inteded for army co-operation, it has twin rudders, an outlandish undercarriage and a goo h.p. Isotta.
The Piaggio concern, of course, has ever tended toward the radical in aircraft design. How many people remember its huge four-engined trans-Atlantic monoplane which looked for all the world like -an overgrown B.A. Dou ble Eagle? I learned t hat t his model is "still experimental" and so is the three-engined bomber which also had (perhaps, in view of the information, one should say has) Double-Eagle-like wings. In all fairness let it be said that the Piaggios were in the air before the B.A.s.
But to revert to the new twin-engined bomber. Labelled the P.32, it is characterised by a strikingly short span (59 ft.) which has been made possible by an ingenious high-lift . device which is said to work very well. This is a double flap, but not of the variety which seems to interest some people in this country, i.e., the double-split variety. To put it simply, there are two flaps in tandem and both are lowered at appropriate angles to give a high-lift effect.
The stated disposable load of the P .32 is no less than 7,716 lb., and the top speed 260 m.p.h. with a brace of Piaggio P.XI RC 40s.
When the undercarriage is up there are very pronounced blister-like fairings beneath the nacelles which detract somewhat from a very clean and businesslike appearance.
The gun turrets (mounting a total of four weapons), like the flap system, are operated by compressed air.
It was whispered that eighty-five of these very formidable aeroplanes are already in service. Their flying characteristics should make a most absorbing study. Someone told me that they can manoeuvre like small fighters because of their short span and high load factors.
The BR20 bomber was the prototype of the Fiat machines in the Damascus race, which, although they hit some rough luck, proved themselves very fast over long distances. Leading data are: Disposable load 7,936 lb. (the same, incidentally, as the Fiat G.18V transport, also exhibited). top speed 267 m.p.h., landing speed 75 m.p.h., and range 5,590 miles. This last is the manufacturer's figure, relating, undoubtedly, to the machine with supplementary tanks and in gross (decidedly) overload condition .
Two thousand horse-power is taken from the twin Fiat A.So RC 41 two-row radials and delivered to constant speed Hamilton-type airscrews.
The top-speed figure seems decidedly optimistic in view of the large, square-cut and somewhat humpy fuselage. Nose, ventral, and top-fuselage gun positions are included, and if the guns can be used effectively from their unobtrusive nests (and one must, of course, query the practical value of all free armament on machines doing 'over 250 m.p.h.) the BR 20 should be a very handy weapon to have around an air force.
A particulary welcome exhibit is the Heinkel He.112 fighter, a diminutive projectile which does about 300 m.p.h. carrying two Oerlikon "cannons" and a pair of machines guns. The engine is an inverted -vee Junkers Jumo 210 Ea of 685 (max.) h.p.
Archaic Armament
The Junkers Ju.86K (as supplied to Sweden) struck me as being a very sound bomber, but marred to a certain extent by archaic armament arrangements. The useful load is given at 6,460 lb., which seems low in comparison with the figures for comparable Italian types. Hornet-type engines, built by B.M.W.s, give a speed of well over 200 m.p.h., although it is not likely to be the 248 m.p.h. now claimed for the civil version of the Ju. 86.
The projection of so much rear armament on the Junkers Ju. 86K bomber is deplorable aesthetically and aerodynamically. The "dustbin" would be more at home in a museum than on such a fine bombing machine.
Having heard some glowing reports about the Savoia S.79B bomber I was disappointed to find that its place had been taken at the exhibition by a transport machine. It seems that S.79Bs (these are twin-engined types,usually of about 2,000 h.p.) have been ordered as standard equipment by the Argentine, Rumanian and lraqui Govern-
ments. A story was going the rounds that the Italian Government has earmarked some S·79Bs fitted with 1,400 h.p. Alfa . Romeo engines from which 300-and-a-bit m.p.h. is expected, which is nice going if you can get the range.
It seems that during demonstrations before the Argentine Government someone. ques~ tioned the manceuvrability of the S.79B, so it was looped four or five times just to show that there was no ill-feeling. It weighs over 21,000 lb.
A bomber-reconnaissance floatplane by Cant (Cantieri Riuniti dell' Adriatico) and a new flying boat by Macchi represented the large marine aircraft for which Italy has such a good name. The Cant is quite a new development and is derived directly from the Z.506 machine, which has added a nice string of records to Italy's tally. It bears the designation Z.506B and is a three-engined type (Alfa-built Pegasus) with a fine slim fuselage incorporating the fashionable ventral bomb stow~ age. I gathered that. the armament arrangements are purely tentative, and that it is unlikely that an order will be placed by the Italian Government.
Apparently the conversions of the big Cant floatplanes of this layout into landplanes have not been unqualifled successes.
The Cant people claim as one of the great advantages of large floatplanes that the machines can be kept in service with a pair of spare floats, which can be fitted without disturbing the passenger cabin, as might be necessary with a central-hull flying boat during periods of inspection and renovation.
The firm is still toying with its experimental landplane bomber, the Z.1O11.
The somewhat nebulous military Cant triple-engined floatplane. Armament stowage is quite arbitrary at the moment, but the machine will certainly have a good performance. Beyond it is incredible SS3 concocted at Guidonia.
Macchi's flying boat, the M.C.99, is obviously descended from the twin-engined amphibians operated by Ala Littoria in the Mediterranean. It carries its two liquid-cooled Isottas above the wing and has large flared-out chines, which look a bit old-fashioned. The bombs are stowed in the wings, and at about twelve one night I happened to be prowling in the vicinity while adjustments were being made in the bomb-cells. I was politely requested to look the other way while the nice flying boat was en neglige.
Tests of the M.C.99 are still proceediing, but estimated figures are: Top speed 177 m.p.h., range 4,000-odd miles (presumably with no military load), disposable load 10,580 lb., full-load take-off in 36 sec. (confirmed), and ceiling 17,000 ft.
There are twin machine guns in the bow turret, one in the centre of the hull, and another pair in the stern. The mountings are power-driven. I was given to understand that three samples have been ordered by the Italian Government. On suggesting that the outrigger mounting of the engines was rather unfortunate aerodynamically I was reminded that the M.C.99 was conceived by the man who designed the fastest aeroplane in the world.
Macchis are building a three-engined commercial boat to do 200 or more m.p.h.
In the foreground of the right-hand view is the little S.A.I.3 two-seater with the S.A.I.2 cabin machine beyond. The flying boat is the new macchi MC99 bomber-reconnaissance machine with a pair of Isotta Assos of 750 h.p. each.
Frankly, I was a bit disappointed in the Italian fighters, but perhaps I have been spoiled by Spitfires, Hurricanes and the rest. Nevertheless, it seems that the Italians take their Fiat G.50 very seriously, for it was released for exhibition only provided it was hung up from the ceiling where prying eyes would miss important details. The G.50 is certainly a " different" aeroplane as figqters go these days. It uses a two-row 840 h.p. Fiat A·74 .RC 38 which has a flapped cowl with troughs for a pair of machine guns. There seems to be no wing armament. What use a two-gun fighter . will be is rather difficult to see.
There are flaps, of course, and the ailerons are of unusually high aspect ratio. The good forward-downward view which might have been obtained from the cockpit must be marred by the shape of the centre-section, the leading edge of which juts forward. There is, in fact, a general increase in the size of the wing in that region which is arranged to receive the retractable wheels.
Manufacturers' data for the G.50 are: Useful load 950 lb., top speed 290 m.p.h., and landing speed 73 'm.p.h.
The Romano people have a pair of fighters, one the, little RO.41 gull-winged, rigidly-braced biplane as used by the Regia Aeronautica for acrobatic training, and the second the comparatively new RO.51 monoplane, with the same engine as the aforementioned Fiat and similar armament. The undercarriage is fIxed and the vertical tail surfaces shockingly small. I was informed that the type has already been ordered by the Government. Although it is probably quite a sound aeroplane, I was not very impressed by its potentialities as an up-to-date weapon.
A type which did thrill me, however, was the tiny Tunkers Ju. 112, which made its debut at Zurich the otherweek. Rather like a shrunken He.70; this little singleseater has a Junkers Jumo 210 inverted vee and has for its stock-in-trade two synchronised machine guns and a pair of wing-mounted Oerlikon "cannons." The undercarriage folds up laterally, and when the wheels are down there is very little of the lower surface left intact.
Internal stowage for light bombs set me thinking about. anti-aircraft bombs as religiously advocated by Mr. Golovine. The cooling flap for the radiator (using water and not glycol) is hydraulically controlled. Figures for the He.112 are: Useful load 1,388Ib., top speed 295-300 m.p.h., and range 475 miles.
Perhaps the most strikingly displayed exhibit was the familiar Henschel fighter-dive bomber, complete with projectile load and camouflage, "banking" round the hall which houses the German exhibits.
A cursory glance at the Breda 65 fighter gave the impression that Italian manufacturers are working in beaten gold instead of duralumin. Shown monoposto, with four staggered wing guns, this type can be supplied as an attack machine or two-seater fighter. It does 250-odd m.p.h.
A twin-engined Caproni military trainer of nearly 800 h.p. gave me a mild jolt. We shall soon have trainers to teach people to fly trainers. Known as the Ca.31O the machine in question is destined for functions similar to those of our Airspeed Oxford.
Caproni has also weighed in with a rather intriguing reconnaissance (or army co-op.) biplane which has twin rudders and a carefully faired undercarriage with its roots in the lower main planes. The 900 h.p. of a liquid-cooled Isotta moves it at over 240 m.p.h., which is handy when one is trying to give enemy fighters the slip.
So much for the out-and-out destroyers and their satellites. Having cleared the air of them', let us consider the transports, trainers and the inevitable flotsam and jetsam.
Fastest of the liners is the Savoia Marchetti S.83, a tenpassenger model derived from the S.79 series, an example of which (actually" I-II," the Damascus race victor) is displayed alongide. " Factors contributing to its aerodynamic and commercial eciency are interconnected slots and flaps, retractable, undercarriage (an advance over our trans-Alpine vehicle) and ventral baggage stowage.
That Third Engine
I have always marvelled at the efficiency Savoias get with their three-engined types in spite of the fact that the nose engine, so they say, does about half the work of the wing units. For commercial work, however, they like that extra bit of safety it affords.
Examples of the new S.83 have been ordered by Sabena and Rumanian and Italian concerns. It is said to be good for 267 m. p.li. using fully supercharged Alfa-Bristols and the disposable load is 7,700 lb.
The Savoia Marchetti S.79 (trhee Alfa-built Pagasus) on the right is "I-II," the winner of the Damascus race. It is one of the most arresting machines on show, in its red and green paint. In the background is the new Savoia S.83 transport developed from the S.79 desing. This is said to be good for nearly 270 m.p.h.
The Damascus race machine near-by has a little trapdoor in the floor through which I glimpsed the tanks which, at racing speeds, must literally decant petrol to the triple Alfa-built Pegasae. These, by the way, are not fitted with gilled cowlings.
I was rather taken by the new version of the Fiat G.18, a Douglasian monoplane now graced with two Fiat 80 RC 41 two-row engines which confer a top speed of nearly 250 m.p.h. With Jts constant-speed airscrews this machine seems a very useful type for certain classes of work. Its load is 7,930 lb.
Of similar power (480 h.p. supplied by two Argus or Hirth engine) the Ago Kurier and Halle FK.104 light transports or rich man's tourers' represent the' latest German practice in the construction of comparatively small "twins." With top speeds of the order of 200 m. p.h. they should be excellent propositions for feeder line work. The Kurier is the more striking of the two, with its sharp dihedral on the outer wing panels and its wide retract, able undercarriage.
The small civil trainers and tourers exhibit no momentous aerodynamic advances, though on the whole they are not so stereotyped as the military machines. There is the Whitney Straight demonstrator, ferried out by Mr. Gordon MarshaIl (still there is nothing in its class quite as good as .. Straight "). the Messerschmitt Taifun and a single-seater Tipsy with a roof. The original idea was, I gathered, to show the two-seater Tipsy but this, having flown over the Alps, came down rather heavily at Milan and was in no fit condition to be shown. A Whirlwind-Stinson was promised, but had not arrived while I was in Milan.
The Gotha works are presenting a new high-sreed singleseater, with Argus As 10c engine and a speed of about 213 m. p.h., which is rather disappointing in view of the fact that it has about 40 h.p. more than a Mew Gull.
I was attracted particularly by the Breda 79S fourseater high-wing tourer with a speed range from 47 to 160 m.p.h. and interconnected slots and flaps. The version on view has the German Argus engine in' place of the Alfa formedy fitted.
The Arado Ar.96 high-performance trainer should, perhaps, have been dealt with as a military model for special emphasis has been lain on its aerobatic qualities. It does 186 m.p.h. with the 240 h.p. Argus and bears quite a striking resemblance to the latest German fighters.
The Nardi Brothers, who specialise in 'light tourers and trainers for people who like a bit more'speed than is usually demanded, are putting up their 200 m.p.h. F.N .305 fighter-trainer (Alfa Romeo or Waiter), and the two-seater touring version of the same design. These types are quite well known by now, but the Nardis have other shots in their locker, notably the F.N. four-seater tourer with 200 h.p, Fiat engine.
The Società Aeronautica Italiana disphy their. little two-seater mid-wing S.A.I.3 tourer which at least has the virtue of originality and the S.A.I.2S four-seater cabin machine which, in spite of the fact that it has only 186 horses, should do more than the 130 m.p.h. which is published for it.
The dainty little Magni Vale must have gained for Italy a record in a special category-for appearing at more aero shows than any other aeroplane, despite the fact that, to the best of my knowledge, few, if any, have ever been sold. For those interested in this not unappealing single-seater sport trainer it does 155 m.p.h. with a 130 h.p. Farina radial in a special Magni cowling.
A delicate-looking Zlin XII light monoplane with 45 h. p. Persy has been brought over from Czechoslovakia. Its designer seems to have done quite well with the power at his disposal for it will do about 100 m.p.h.
Flaunting Convention
Of course, there are the machines which, justly or unjustly, are called freaks. The less freakish one of the pair on view-the Lombardi light pusher monoplane seems to be a somewhat crude attempt to carry on the Hammond Y theme. The engine is a 110 h.p. AHa and there are two seats. The second, and much more bizarre effort, is the SS3 device, conceived at Guidonia, which worthy establishment, according to some unqualified observers, should have known better. The designer was Eng. Sacchi, who has put his surfaces and power plant in such positions as to make it a matter of some difficulty to Judge if the SS3 is flying ahead, astern or crab fashion. But there may be quite a good deal in this tail-first pusher.
Of the accessory and incidental exhibits I have space to say nothing here except that the whole display, particularly that by the Italian Regia Aeronautica, was superb.
One noticed among British names the following: Automotive Products, Arthur Balfour, Blanchard Machine Co., Broom and Wade, Cambridge Instrument Co., Cooke Troughton and Simms, Negretti and Zambra, Smith's Aircraft Instruments, G. B. Stone, Super Oil Seals, Thos. Firth and John Brown, Vacuum Oil Co., and Vickers Armstrong, Ltd.
Some of the new Italian engines-particularly the two rows by Fiat and Al£a Romeo-are worthy of a study which cannot, for reasons of space, be pursued at the moment. I was struck particularly by the newest Alfa creation, an eighteen-cylinder model with Bristol-likecylinders. Junkers have the JU.2II, an inverted vee-twelve of larger capacity and output than the 210.
This is obviously a reply to the big Mercedes, and gives a maxi-mum of 945 h.p. for a weight of r,278 lb. I found myself wondering what future the new 850 h.p. Bramo Fafnir has before it. Strange, building a brand-new type of high-powered single-row radial these days.Gnome Rhones were due to show a P.18 engine, probably a development of the L.18, which seems to have been having a particularly painful teething period.
The engines are deserving of a better fate than this mere mention, and I hope to correlate for a future issue some data which I gathered.
The return trip, with dehys at Milan, a cancellation from Cologne and real English QBI at Croydon might have been irritating were it not for the ethereal splendour of the Alpine lakeland seen in its full glory in the autumn sun-light. General Goering has said of the Alps that, formerly a menacing and insuperable wall, they are now but a beautiful landscape, increasing the charm of flying. He is right there.