johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
Martin PBM mariner, Coastguard 1943
If It Can Fly, It Can Float!!!
- Thread starter Njaco
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johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
Coast Guard aircraft from Miami fly over a cutter.
johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
Aaron Brooks Wolters
Brigadier General
Excellent material John.
Old Wizard
2nd Lieutenant
johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
Pinocchio: The Piaggio PC-7
This is the Piaggio P-7, or Piaggio – Pegna PC-7, (also called "Pinocchio" by Pegna) designed by an engineer named Giovanni Pegna. Mr. Pegna designed this aircraft specifically for the 1929 Schneider Trophy race to represent Italy. This annual (later biannual) race began in 1913 and was held in France, Italy, North America, and the United Kingdom until 1931. The Schneider Trophy was also a race that was specifically for seaplanes! It is said (by wiki) that these races helped to bring in better aerodynamic designs that were used for aircraft in the second world war for planes like the british Supermarine Spitfire, the North American P-51 Mustang, and the Italian Macchi C-202.
The Piaggio PC-7 was designed with aerodynamics being the most important aspect. Actually, the aerodynamics were so important that it ruined the aircraft. Most of the planes at this time, or most seaplanes, had floats underneath them (also called floatplanes), but Giovanni Pegna had a different concept. He used the cantilever wing design and a super tight fuselage, and the plane floated up to it's wings. Of course, this means the prop was in the water and the aircraft itself didn't sit high enough to simply fly out. So, Pegna incorporated two high-incidence hydrofoils were normal floats would be into his design, and placed a rudder and a small marine prop in the rear. When the small marine prop moved the plane, the hydrofoils would begin to lift it out of the water as it's speed increased.
Unfortunately, the PC-7 never made it out of the water because of two things: The water spray from the hydrofoils blinded the pilot, and the clutches for both props were too difficult to control. If those things could have somehow been addressed, this plane would have been just as cool as the rest of them, especially since it had either an Isotta-Fraschini Special V6 rated at 723 kW (983 PS; 970 hp) or an Isotta-Fraschini AS-5 of 745 kW (1,013 PS; 999 hp).
This is the Piaggio P-7, or Piaggio – Pegna PC-7, (also called "Pinocchio" by Pegna) designed by an engineer named Giovanni Pegna. Mr. Pegna designed this aircraft specifically for the 1929 Schneider Trophy race to represent Italy. This annual (later biannual) race began in 1913 and was held in France, Italy, North America, and the United Kingdom until 1931. The Schneider Trophy was also a race that was specifically for seaplanes! It is said (by wiki) that these races helped to bring in better aerodynamic designs that were used for aircraft in the second world war for planes like the british Supermarine Spitfire, the North American P-51 Mustang, and the Italian Macchi C-202.
The Piaggio PC-7 was designed with aerodynamics being the most important aspect. Actually, the aerodynamics were so important that it ruined the aircraft. Most of the planes at this time, or most seaplanes, had floats underneath them (also called floatplanes), but Giovanni Pegna had a different concept. He used the cantilever wing design and a super tight fuselage, and the plane floated up to it's wings. Of course, this means the prop was in the water and the aircraft itself didn't sit high enough to simply fly out. So, Pegna incorporated two high-incidence hydrofoils were normal floats would be into his design, and placed a rudder and a small marine prop in the rear. When the small marine prop moved the plane, the hydrofoils would begin to lift it out of the water as it's speed increased.
Unfortunately, the PC-7 never made it out of the water because of two things: The water spray from the hydrofoils blinded the pilot, and the clutches for both props were too difficult to control. If those things could have somehow been addressed, this plane would have been just as cool as the rest of them, especially since it had either an Isotta-Fraschini Special V6 rated at 723 kW (983 PS; 970 hp) or an Isotta-Fraschini AS-5 of 745 kW (1,013 PS; 999 hp).
johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
Last edited:
johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
Arado Ar 95A1
johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
he Ar 199 in the photo was constructed by a manufacturer of aircraft parts called SIPA (Société Industrielle Pour l'Aéronautique). This company wa founded in Neuilly in 1938 as a subcontractor to the French aviation industry. The SIPA workshops were located on the Ile de Jatte which is a large two kilometre long island in the Seine river between Neuilly-sur-Seine and Levallois-Perret on one side and Courbevoie on the other (north-western suburbs of Paris). SIPA produced (and delivered ?) at least 20 Ar 199A models and was later also involved in production work on the Arado 234 jet. SIPA's relationship with Arado apparently pre-dated the outbreak of war. The subject of French production of Luftwaffe aircraft is a fascinating one and as we know, for example from the history of the Fw 190 and the Ju 88, the French were very good at building German aircraft ..It wasn't a question either of the French having to 'cooperate' - the Vichy French authorities had very quickly opened negociations with their new German masters in an attempt to preserve employment and some of their manufacturing base in France by offering to produce spares and even complete airframes for German aircraft manufacturers.
SIPA evidently continued to work with the Germans and liaise with Arado in particular. In 1942 Arado specifically assigned SIPA the task of development work on an advanced training aircraft which led to the post-war French training type, the SIPA S-10 which first flew in 1944.
johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
Excellent pics!
johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
Fokker
johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
Aerial Experimental Association, June Bug, John A.D. McCurdy. 1909
johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
Canadian Vickers Vedette, RCAF, ca. 1928
