The Savoia-Marchetti S.55 was a double-hulledflying boat produced in Italy, beginning in 1924. Shortly after its introduction, it began setting records for speed, payload, altitude and range.
The S.55 featured many innovative design features. All the passengers or cargo were placed in the twin hulls, but the pilot and crew captained the plane from a cockpit in the thicker section of the wing, between the two hulls. The S.55 had two inline contra-rotating propellers, mounted in tandem. The engines were canted sharply at an upward angle. Two wire-braced booms connected the triple-finned tail structure to the twin hulls and wing.
Operational history
A Romanian S.55 in 1943
In 1926, the S.55P prototype set 14 world records for speed, altitude and distance with a payload.[1] The S.55's greatest successes, however, were its many flights between Europe and the Americas.
The first S.55 crossing was made a year later by the Santa Maria under Francesco de Pinedo. After flying south to Bolama, at that time in Portuguese Guinea, they hoped to cross the ocean without another stop but were forced down at Cape Verde, reaching Brazil on 23 February 1927. After the crossing, the aircraft was traded to Brazil for coffee beans.
The Brazilian João Ribeiro de Barros and his crew of three made another crossing in S.55 "Jahú" on 24 April 1927. Departing from Santiago Island, he crossed the Atlantic in "Jahú" and landed at Fernando de Noronha Island, Brazil.
Pilots Francesco de Pinedo and Carlo del Prete took off from Sesto Calende, Italy, in an S-55 on 13 February 1927. Four months later, on 16 June 1927, they arrived back in Italy, having flown nearly 48,280km (30,000mi) in 193 flying hours and having made just over 50 stops, including Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires and New York City.
On 20 June 1928 Savoia-Marchetti S.55 I-SAAT Santa Maria, piloted by Ten. Col. Umberto Maddalena of the Italian air force, located survivors of Arctic explorer Umberto Nobile's crashed airship Italia on an ice floe about 120km (75mi) northeast of Nordaustlandet, Svalbard.
The Italian Air Marshal of the time, Italo Balbo, became famous for organizing a squadron of S.55s for Atlantic crossings, culminating in his 1933 flight with 24 aircraft to Chicago's Century of Progress International Exposition. On 1 July 1933, General Balbo commanded a flight of S-55s from Orbetello, Italy, completing the flight in just over 48 hours, maintaining a tight "V" formation. These large fleets of aircraft were sometimes called a "Balbo".
Powerplant: 2 × Isotta Fraschini Asso 500 V-12 water-cooled piston engines, 370kW (500hp) each mounted in tandem, plus one Garelli piston engine driving oil distribution placed between the two main engines[6]
Propellers: 2-bladed fixed pitch tractor and pusher propellers
Performance
Maximum speed: 205km/h (127mph, 111kn)
Stall speed: 105km/h (65mph, 57kn)
Range: 1,200km (750mi, 650nmi) to 2,200km (1,400mi; 1,200nmi)
Time to altitude: 1,000m (3,300ft) in 9 minutes; 2,000m (6,600ft) in 25 minutes; 3,000m (9,800ft) in 45 minutes
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1927:
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1928:
SIAI-Marchetti was an Italian aircraft manufacturer primarily active during the interwar period.
Francesco de Pinedo was a famous Italian aviator. A Regia Marina officer who transferred to the Regia Aeronautica, he was an advocate of the seaplane and is best known for his long-range flying boat flights in the 1920s that demonstrated the feasibility of global air travel.
The Savoia-Marchetti SM.95 was an Italian four-engine, mid-range transport aircraft, which first flew in 1943. It was the successor of the Savoia-Marchetti SM.75.
The Savoia-Marchetti SM.78 was an Italian bomber/reconnaissance biplane flying boat of the early 1930s.
Alessandro Marchetti was an Italian engineer and airplane designer. Marchetti was born in Cori, Italy, and died in Busto Arsizio. He is best known for having created the Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 medium bomber.
The Savoia-Marchetti S.59 was a 1920s Italian reconnaissance/bomber flying boat designed and built by Savoia-Marchetti for the Regia Aeronautica.
The Savoia-Marchetti S.66 was a 1930s Italian twin-hull flying boat designed and built by Savoia-Marchetti as an enlarged development of the S.55.
The Savoia-Marchetti S.64 was a monoplane developed in Italy in 1928 specifically to contest the world duration and distance records.
The SIAI S.58 or Savoia-Marchetti S.M.58 was an Italian flying boat fighter prototype of the 1920s designed and manufactured by SIAI.
The SIAI S.51, Savoia Marchetti S.51 or Savoia S.51 was an Italian racing flying boat built by SIAI for the 1922 Schneider Trophy race.
The Fiat A.22 was an Italian water-cooled aircraft engine from the 1920s. It produced 425 kW (570 hp) and powered several absolute world distance records as well as commercial passenger flights.
Carlo Del Prete was a pioneer aviator from Italy.
Stefano Cagna was an Italian aviator, a Brigadier General of the Italian Royal Air Force, he fought in World War II and was decorated with the gold medal for valour in memory.
The Savoia-Marchetti S.63 was a single hull development of the Italian Savoia-Marchetti S.55 flying boat. It first flew as a bomber in 1927 but was rapidly converted into an airliner. The only S.63 built served with an Italian airline.
The Isotta Fraschini Asso 750 was an Italian W 18 water-cooled aircraft engine of the 1930s. Produced by Isotta Fraschini the engine displaced just under 48 L (2,900 cu in) and produced up to 940 hp (700 kW). Together with the Asso 200 and the Asso 500 the Asso 750 was part of a family of modular engines, that used common and interchangeable components to lower production costs.
The CANT 21 was an Italian reconnaissance flying boat built by CANT in the late 1920s.
Atlantic Flight is a 1931 short documentary film made by the Regia Aeronautica Italiana, based on the pioneering 1930 transatlantic formation flight made by 12 Savoia-Marchetti S.55 flying boats, commanded by General Italo Balbo. Atlantic Flight is notable as the first Italian aviation film.
Aldo Pellegrini was an Italian Air Force general during World War II.
References
↑ Yenne, Bill (1997). Batchelor, John (illustrations) (ed.). Seaplanes & flying boats. New York, N.Y.: BCL Press. p.58. ISBN1-932302-03-4.
Axworthy, Mark (September–October 1999). "Flank Guard: Romania's Advance on Stalingrad, Part Two". Air Enthusiast (65): 72–75. ISSN0143-5450.
Garello, Giancarlo (October 2000). "Courrier des Lecteurs" [Readers' Letters]. Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (91): 3. ISSN1243-8650.
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