https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savoia-Marchetti_S.55
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 counter-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.
Role
Flying boat
Manufacturer
Savoia-Marchetti
Designer
Alessandro Marchetti
First flight
August 1924
Introduction
1926
Retired
1945
Primary users
Regia Aeronautica
Number built
243+
Variants
Savoia-Marchetti S.66
Even though its design was unusual, the Savoia-Marchetti S.55 was a remarkably
airworthy craft. In 1926, the S.55P prototype set 14 world records for speed,
altitude and distance with a payload. The S.55's greatest successes, however,
were its many flights between Europe and the Americas.
The first staged south Atlantic Ocean crossing was made in 1922 using three
different Fairey III machines and the Dornier Do J Plus Ultra crossed in January
1926 with a single stop at the Cape Verde Islands.
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.
Pilots Francesco de Pinedo and Carlo del Prete took off from Sesto Calende,
Italy, in an S-55. Four months later, they arrived back in Italy, having flown
nearly 48,280 km (30,000 mi) 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 120 km (75 mi)
northeast of Nordaustlandet, Svalbard.
The Italian Air Marshall 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".
Specifications (S.55)
General characteristics
Crew: 2 pilots, 3-4 other crew members
Length: 16.5 m (54 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 24 m (78 ft 9 in)
Height: 5 m (16 ft 5 in)
Wing area: 92 m2 (990 sq ft)
Empty weight: 5,750 kg (12,677 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 8,260 kg (18,210 lb)
kW (500 hp) each mounted in tandem
Propellers: 2-bladed fixed pitch tractor and pusher propellers
Performance
Maximum speed: 205 km/h (127 mph; 111 kn)
Stall speed: 105 km/h (65 mph; 57 kn)
Range: 1,200 km (746 mi; 648 nmi) to 2,200 km (1,400 mi; 1,200 nmi)
Time to altitude: 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in 9 minutes; 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in 25
minutes; 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in 45 minutes
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