Let Let Let – Warplanes

The earlier Macchi M-17 and M-19 flying boat biplanes were finally developed into the Macchi M-33 flying boat racer for the 1925 contest at Baltimore U.S.A. However, with a new generation of floatplanes it was evident the flying boat was a dead end in the Schneider Cup race! Of the two M.33′s entered one had to withdraw and the other finished third and last at an average speed some 100 km/h less than the winning U.S. Curtiss racer!

Macchi developed a completely new racer as a low-wing floatplane with the most powerful engine available: the 800 hp Fiat A.S.2. As type M-39, three were built for the 1926 race at Hampton Roads, U.S.A. Another fourth machine with a lower rated engine was built as a trainer, but this plane unfortunately crashed on Lake Varese during test flights killing Commandante Marchese Vittorio Centurione, the Italian team leader. All three M-39′s entered the race, but Captain Ferrarin had to retire on the fourth lap with an overheated engine. Mario de Benardi and Adriano Bacula finished first and third, convincingly beating the U.S. biplane racers. Average speed of Mario de Benardi was a for that time incredible 396.85 km/h. The photo shows the M-39 racer as exhibited today at the Italian air force museum at Vigna de Valle near Rome.

Largely based on the earlier M-39 racer, Macchi built for the 1927 Schneider cup races an aerodynamically more refined racing floatplane as the M-52. Three were built; one with the 800 hp Fiat A.S.2 engine and two with an A.S.2 up-rated to produce 1000 hp. They had a shorter wing span than the M-39 while also the twin floats were reduced in both length and volume. The two M-52′s fitted with the 1000 hp engine were capable to reach a top speed of more than 480 km/h. All three M-52′s were entered in the 1927 race at Venice, flown by Capt. Frederico Guazetti, Major Mario de Bernardi and Captain Arturo Ferrarin. All three M-39 had to retire during the final race. Bernardi had to make an emergency landing on the 2nd lap because of engine failure while Ferrarin had already to retire at the first lap with engine troubles. Finally, Guazetti had to retire on the 6th lap because of a leaking fuel line. We can only conclude the Italians were not very lucky with their M-52! On the picture we see the Italian team standing in front of one of the M-52′s .

For the 1929 Schneider Cup race, Macchi’s chief designer Mario Castoldi made an even further refined design based on the M-52. It was powered by an 1800 hp Isotta-Fraschini engine which fitted very tight in the airframe with three rows of cylinders bulging on the fuselage nose. Cooling was extended by additional flush radiators fitted on both fuselage sides. Three were built, but unfortunately one crashed during test flights over the Garda lake in Italy killing pilot Giuseppe Motta. That meant that only two machine were available for the 1929 race, which were entered together with one of the earlier M-52 racers. During the race, both M-67′s failed to finish. Giovanno Monti had to retire hid M-67 with engine troubles. The other M-67, flown by Remo Cadringher had to retire when the pilot became intoxicated by engine fumes. The only Italian who finished the race was Dal Molin at the third place in his old M.52.

A less successful contender for the 1929 race was the Savoia-Marchetti S.65. It was a highly unconventional design with a very short fuselage with fore and aft mounted Isotta-Fanchini Asso V-12 engines of 1080 hp each. It further had a single tail, mounted on a rudimentary tail boom. With its enormously powerful engines the S.65 had a great potential as a winner. It was entered in the 1929 race, but it failed in the preliminary tests because of engine overheating. It was lost a year later in a crash on the Garda lake killing pilot Dal Molin.

Another unsuccessful racer for the 1929 Schneider Cup event was the Piaggio P.7. Just like the Savoia-Marchetti S.65 it was a highly unusual design. It did not have floats as was so characteristic for the other Schneider Cup racers. Instead, it was fitted with two short fuselage-mounted hydro-skies and a tail-mounted boat propeller. It was fitted with a 970 hp Isotta-Frascini close-cowled engine driving not only a two-bladed propeller in the nose, but also the boat propeller with a clutch-coupled extension shaft. Due to coupling problems with the boat propeller the P.7 never left the water during test flights made by Dal Molin. It only made some test runs on the Garda lake before further development was abandoned.

Based on the success of the Macchi racers, Fiat decided to build their own airframe for their liquid-cooled A.S.5 V-12 engine and to participate also in the Schneider Cup event of 1929. Three, or possibly four were built under the type designation C-29, the first one only serving as a an airframe for static testing. The first flying prototype had a vertical stabilizer without the downward extension as on the later machines and it was flight-tested with an open cockpit. Most likely, this first unregistered machine was later used for conversion in the first of the two original racers with registration serials MM129 and MM130. MM129 crashed shortly after take off from the Garda lake but test pilot Francesco Agello could luckily be rescued without major injury. MM130 was shipped to Calshot as a back-up for the Macchi’s, but it was not flown. MM130 is now on exhibit in the Italian air force museum at Vigna di Valle. On the photo we see the first prototype with the original tail configuration and open cockpit.

Undoubtedly, the last Italian Schneider Cup racer had the potential to be an absolute winner. Designed by Mario Castoldi as the MC.72, this was the smallest possible airframe combined with the most powerful engine available: the Fiat A.S.6. In fact, this engine existed of two coupled A.S.5 engines driving two contra-rotating propellers and producing 2600 hp. For cooling, flush radiators were used wherever there was space, even on the floats and wings!

In total four MC.72′s were built, but flying these temperament-full monsters was not found to be an easy task and three of the four were involved in crashes. The MC.72 was entered for the 1931 race, but engine overheating problems were the cause it had to be withdrawn, leaving the British Supermarine S.6B as only contestant. The potential of this plane as a winner was clearly shown three years later when Francesco Agello established with the MC.72 an absolute world speed record of 709 km/h. This record still stands today for this category! The remaining MC.72 is now exhibited in the Italian air force museum at Vigna di Valle.

Related posts:

1. Tangmere Military Aviation Museum
2. Caudron C.460 Rafale replica presented at Le Bourget
3. Vickers Supermarine Type 381 Seagull ASR-1
4. Dutch flying boats and amphibians

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