The slightly less well known

[Angry Turnip]

Hispano-Suiza E-34

The Hispano-Suiza E-34, later renamed Hispano HS-34, was a single engine, tandem seat biplane, designed as a basic trainer.

The E-34 had a rectangular cross-section fuselage formed from steel tubing with internal wire bracing. Its cockpits were open. The undercarriage used a pair of internally sprung mainwheels with balloon tyres and a tailskid.It had unswept single bay wings of the same span and constant chord, with some stagger. The wings were fabric-covered wooden structures.
The prototype and production series aircraft were powered, as the specification required, by a 105 hp Walter Junior four-cylinder inverted inline engine, although the second prototype was fitted with the more powerful 130 hp de Havilland Gipsy Major of the same configuration.Performance was a top speed of around 110mph and a cruise of 85mph.

The E-34 did not win the Aeronáutica Militar competition, and was therefore not ordered, but the Aeronáutica Naval placed an order for twenty five in August 1935. Only five had been built before the Spanish Civil War put an end to production of non-combat aircraft. Just 6 aircraft were completed.


[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Loring R-1

The Loring R-1 or R-I was a reconnaissance aircraft and light bomber produced fromthe late 1920s.

It was the firm's first aircraft of its own design, it had manufactured aircraft under license, beginning with Fokker C.IV`s and later built some of Juan de la Cierva's autogyro prototypes, such as the Cierva C.7 and Cierva C.12.
The R-1 was a biplane with staggered wings that were braced with struts in a Warren truss-like configuration.The pilot and observer sat in open cockpits in tandem.
Thirty examples were produced for the Spanish Army. They remained in service until December 1931 when they were phased out during military restructuring promoted by Manuel Azaña, the new Minister of War of the republican government. He wanted to modernize the Spanish Military and cut down the expenses of the state.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Loring R-III

The Loring R-III or R-3 was a 1920s two-crew sesquiplane reconnaissance and light attack aircraft.

During the mid 1920s, General Primo de Rivera's dictatorship the R-III entered a contest along with the Potez 25 for the modernization of the Military Air Arm. Both machines had similar characteristics, but the Military Directory decided on the Loring R-III to promote local industry, thus the Aeronáutica Militar placed an order of 110 aircraft.

In October and November 1926 three variants of the R-3 were exhibited at the National Aeronautics Exhibition in Madrid. The R-3, the C-1 fighter and the T-1 light trainer. Neither the fighter nor the trainer variants, went into production. The aircraft was powered by an 800 hp Hispano-Suiza 12Hb engine, which allowed a max speed of around 145mph.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

That`s Spain finished, now on to Italy.

Aerfer Ariete

The Aerfer Ariete (Ram) was a prototype fighter aircraft built in Italy in 1958.

The Ariete was a derivative of the Aerfer Sagittario 2, and was an attempt to bring that aircraft up to a standard where it could be a viable mass-produced combat aircraft.

It retained much of the Sagittario 2's layout, with a nose intake and ventral exhaust for the main Derwent engine, the Ariete added a Rolls-Royce Soar RS.2 auxiliary turbojet engine to provide additional power for climbing and sprinting. This used a dorsal, retractable intake with its exhaust at the tail.
No production version followed and just two aircraft were completed, and were evaluated by the Italian Air Force. A proposed version with an auxiliary rocket engine instead of the turbojet, the Aerfer Leone, was abandoned before a prototype could be built.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Aer Lualdi L.59

The Aer Lualdi L.59 was an Italian helicopter that failed to reach quantity production.

The L.59 was the culmination of work by Carlo Lualdi throughout the 1950s, and was an enlarged version of earlier two-seat designs.The L.59 featured four seats accommodated in an extensively glazed cabin.
It was a conventional pod-and-boom design with skid landing gear, the aircraft had the slightly unusual feature of having its engine mounted in the nose, turning the main rotor by a long driveshaft that reached through the cabin.It was powered by a 260hp Continental IO-470-D air-cooled flat-six engine.

Two Macchi-built prototypes began flight tests in 1960. Civil certification was achieved in August the following year. Although faultless, the performance of the L.59 was not comparable with that of other helicopters on the market at the time. Macchi planned an initial production batch of 50 machines, but only a single example was sold - one of the prototypes was purchased by the Italian Army for evaluation purposes,but no orders were placed. The prototype was exhibited at the 1963 Paris Air Show, but again, no orders were obtained for the aircraft.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Ambrosini S.7

The Ambrosini SAI.7 was an Italian racing aircraft flown before World War II that later entered production as a military trainer (designated S.7) after the war.

The SAI.7 was built to compete in the Avioraduno del Littorio rally, which departed Rimini on 15 July 1939.Two SAI.7s were fitted with special glazed fairings extending from the canopy to the nose,for extra streamlining. The aircraft began its proving flights too late, and were disqualified from the competition, but on August 27, one of them set a new world airspeed record for a 100 km closed circuit, at 403.9 km/h (252 mph) powered by a Hirth HM 508D engine.

During WWII, the Regia Aeronautica was interested in the aircraft as a trainer for fighter pilots, and a revised version entered limited production in 1943 as the SAI.7T. Only 10 were built, but in 1949 a modernised version powered by an Alfa Romeo engine of 225hp was produced, 145 of them for the re-formed Italian Air Force, including some single-seat versions.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Ambrosini SAI.10

The Ambrosini SAI.10 Grifone ("Griffon") was a military trainer aircraft produced in small numbers for the Italian Regia Aeronautica early in World War II.

The Ministero dell' Aeronautica ordered a prototype primary trainer from Ambrosini. This aircraft, was a parasol monoplane of mixed construction, it first flew on July 8 1939, and a production batch of 50 was ordered, but this was soon reduced to just 10, all of which were delivered in 1940.

Production aircraft differed by having a 85hp Fiat A.50 radial engine in place of the prototype's CNA D. Other engine fits that were trialled included an example with a Siemens-Halske Sh 14, and one with an Alfa Romeo 110; this latter machine designated SAI.11. Another experimental development that did not enter production was a float-equipped SAI.10 Gabbiano ("Seagull").

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Ambrosini SAI.207

The Ambrosini SAI.207 was a light fighter interceptor built entirely from wood.

The SAI.207 was developed from the Ambrosini SAI.7 racing and sporting aircraft after the light fighter concept had been proven with the Ambrosini SAI.107 prototype. It was designed to have a lightweight structure and light armament to allow lower-powered engines to be used, without unduly reducing performance.
The first of three prototypes flew in the Autumn of 1940 with a 540 hp Isotta Fraschini Gamma engine, the Sai.107 reached a speed of 350 mph and manoeuvrability proved to be excellent.

In level-flight the performance of the SAI.207 was impressive. Armament consisted of two fuselage-mounted 12.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns.The Ministero dell' Aeronautica placed a production order for 2,000 machines, plus a pre-production batch of 12 aircraft for operational testing.The SAI.207 used a 750hp Isotta Fraschini Delta III R.C.40 inverted V-12,giving an impressive max speed of just under 400mph.

Flight testing revealed some major shortcomings, the low power and high wing loading resulted in poor climb performance; the rear cylinders of the engine overheated during recovery from a dive; the light structure also led to problems, with the second prototype wing exploding during a dive recovery due to internal pressure build up, and the wooden structure was also badly affected by rain or humidity.
Despite its speed, Italian pilots were not impressed by the type and its service in the summer of 1943 quickly ended. The aircraft of 83rd Squadriglia were returned to SAI-Ambrosini to be refurbished.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Ambrosini S.1001

The Ambrosini S.1001 Grifo ("Griffin") was an Italian light airplane that appeared shortly after the end of World War II.

It was the first plane built by SAI Ambrosini postwar, the prototype flew in 1947 and was derived from the pre-war SAI.2S. It was a four-seat monoplane with spatted fixed undercarriage.
A small series was produced for the Italian aeroclubs with an Alfa Romeo 110-ter engine of 130 hp. Three examples were bought by the Italian Aeronautica Militare (AMI), which used them between 1948 and 1950.

A two-seater version powered by a de Havilland Gipsy Major of 160 hp  was offered to the AMI as a trainer. but they were not interested, although a few aircraft were built as the S.1002 Trasimeno for aeroclubs.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Ambrosini Rondone

The Ambrosini Rondone is two/three-seat light touring monoplane of the early 1950s.

The Rondone was designed as a modern touring aircraft, for aero clubs, Stelio Frati prepared the basic design for the prototype two-seat F.4 Rondone I which was built by CVV in 1951.
This was followed by nine production examples produced by SAI Ambrosini in collaboration with Aeronautica Lombardi.

It is of wooden construction with a plywood-covered one-piece single spar wing,and a monocoque fuselage.The tricycle undercarriage is retractable,and the aircraft had two-position flaps and dual controls fitted.The two-seater had an 85 hp Continental engine.
The Rondone II has an extended cabin with additional rear side windows,it was a three-seater with a 90 hp Continental C90-12F engine.Some were later fitted with a 135 hp Lycoming O-290-D2 engine. In total 20 aircraft were completed with a few still airworthy.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Agusta A.105

The Agusta A.105 was an Italian rotorcraft designed by Agusta, however it was never developed beyond the prototype stage.

The A.105 was designed to have a simple manufacturing process, it was planned to be a liaison, aerial photography and high-speed transport helicopter, it was powered by the Agusta built Turbomeca-Agusta TA-230 turbine engine.

The A.105 and A.105B were displayed at the 1965 Paris Air Show, the latter wearing Italian Air Force markings.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Agusta AZ.8L

The Agusta AZ.8L, was an Italian airliner prototype first flown on 9 June 1958.
It was a low-wing monoplane with tricycle undercarriage and used an all-metal construction. Filippo Zappata's design was a development of his unused design twin-engined transport, the AZ.1.

When the AZ.8L failed to attract customers, Agusta abandoned the project to focus on its helicopter manufacturing operations, in particular a new Zappata design, the A.101.
It was powered by 4 Alvis Leonides 503/2 9 cyl. air-cooled radial piston engines, of 540 hp each, which gave a cruise of around 250mph and range of 1500 miles.
The aircraft first flew 9th June 1958, just one was completed and it was retired in 1963.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Agusta A.106

The Agusta A.106 was a single-seat light helicopter designed to provide an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) platform for the destroyers of the Italian Navy.
The aircraft was provided with a sophisticated electronics suite by Ferranti for autostabilisation and contact identification.A pair of  torpedoes could be slung under the fuselage.
The tail and two-bladed main rotor could be folded for shipboard stowage, and the skid undercarriage had fittings for flotation bags if required.

Two prototypes were built, the first flying in November 1965. A pre-production batch of 5 was cancelled by the Navy in 1973.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Ansaldo A.1 Balilla

The Ansaldo A.1, was Italy's only domestically-designed fighter aircraft of World War I.

The first prototype was completed in July 1917, but acceptance by the Air force did not occur until much later that year. Test pilots were not enthusiastic in their evaluation, they found a marked increase in performance over the earlier SVA.5, but the A.1 was still not as manoeuverable as the French types in use by Italy's squadrons, notably the Nieuport 17, which was also produced by Macchi in Italy. This resulted in a number of modifications, including a slight enlargement of the wings and rudder, and a further 10% increase in engine power.

While the fighter's speed was impressive, it proved difficult to fly. Nevertheless, the air force ordered the A.1 anyway.
The first of an original order of 100 machines entered service in July 1918. The A.1s were mostly assigned to home defence duties. In the four months before the Armistice, A.1s scored only one aerial victory, an Austrian reconnaissance aircraft.Despite this, the air force ordered another 100 machines, all of which were delivered before the end of the war. At the armistice, 186 were operational, of which 47 aircraft remained on hand with training squadrons, and the rest were to be put in storage.

The A.1 was built under license in Poland for the Polish Air Force, and was also operated by the Soviet and Latvian Air Force.Some also found their way to South America via a promo tour for the aircraft.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Ansaldo A.120

The Ansaldo A.120 also known as the FIAT A.120, since FIAT bought Ansaldo, was a reconnaissance aircraft developed in the 1920s. It was a conventional, parasol-wing monoplane with fixed tailskid undercarriage. It had a crew of two with the pilot and observer in tandem open cockpits. The prototype flew in 1925, and over 70 were completed.

The design was based on a wing developed for the Ansaldo A.115 and the fuselage of the Dewoitine D.1 fighter which Ansaldo had built under licence. The type was operated in modest quantities by the Italian Air Force, and was exported to the air forces of Austria and Lithuania, the latter's machines remaining in service until the Soviet annexation of the country.
It was powered by a 550hp Fiat A.22 piston engine,in production versions which gave a max speed of around 155mph.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Ansaldo A.300

The Ansaldo A.300 was an Italian general-purpose biplane aircraft built from 1920 to 1929.

It was a single-engined two-crew open cockpit biplane of mixed metal and wood-and-fabric construction, powered by a water-cooled Fiat A.12bis V12 engine. Most variants had two fixed Vickers guns and one mobile gun mounted in the rear cockpit. It first flew in 1919.

The A.300/3 was a three-crew version intended for reconnaissance, of which around 90 were delivered. The most significant variant was the A.300/4, again mostly three-crew, which started full production in 1923, just as Ansaldo was absorbed into FIAT. This became the standard multi-role aircraft in the newly formed Regia Aeronautica and served in Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, Corfu, Libya and Eritrea.
They served as a light bombers, transports, fighter and reconnaissance aircraft, and finally as an advanced trainer, some examples in service as late as 1940. 50 examples were also license-built in Poland but were not a success due to poor build quality.

The A.300 was one of the most numerous aircraft of its time, with the production run of the A.300/4 alone, at 700 units, exceeding the total production of any other type of the 1920s except the Breguet XIX and Potez 25. Despite this, it remains one of the least documented types.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Ansaldo SVA

The Ansaldo SVA was a family of Italian reconnaissance biplane aircraft of World War I.

It was originally conceived as a fighter, but was found inadequate for that role. However, with its impressive speed, range and operational ceiling,its top speed making it one of the fastest of all Allied combat aircraft in World War I, gave it the right properties to be an excellent reconnaissance aircraft and even light bomber. Production of the aircraft continued well after the war, the final examples were delivered during 1918.

The SVA was a conventionally laid-out unequal-span biplane - it was unusual in featuring Warren Truss-style struts joining its two wings, and therefore having no transverse (spanwise) bracing wires. The plywood-skinned fuselage had the typical Ansaldo triangular rear cross-section behind the cockpit, transitioning to a rectangular cross section going forwards through the rear cockpit area, with a full rectangular cross section forward of the cockpit.Two minor variants were produced, one with reconnaissance cameras, the other without cameras but extra fuel tanks.

It was powered by a 200 hp SPA 6A 6-cylinder water-cooled in-line piston engine, which gave it a max speed of around 140mph.
The Italian Air Force's High Command urged for the SVA to be provided in vast quantities; thus, production output made rapid advances. Only 65 aircraft had been completed by the end of 1917, 1,183 SVAs were build during 1918; this made the type the second-most numerous aircraft to be built by the Italian aviation industry.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Aviamilano A2

The Aviamilano A2 or A2 Standard is an Italian high performance Standard Class sailplane.

The A2 was designed in the early 1960s at the Polytechnic University of Milan by Carlo Ferrarin, his cousin Francis Ferrarin and Livio Sonzio. It is a single-seat cantilever mid-wing monoplane, its high-aspect-ratio wing built around an all-metal torsion box and spar. It is skinned with light alloy, the centre section trailing edges carries air brakes.

Its fuselage is similar to that of the Aviamilano CPV1 with a wooden structure and ovoid cross-section. The rear part is plywood skinned, but the forward part is covered with glass fibre.
It has a long, single, semi-reclining seat cockpit with a single piece canopy following the fuselage contours is placed ahead of the leading edge.
The A2 first flew in 1964 and a short production run began in 1966. In all, five were built,one of which remained on the Italian civil register in 2010.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Aviamilano Sequoia Falco

The aircraft was designed by Italian designer Stelio Frati in 1955, and was originally built by Aviamilano, then Aeromere and later Laverda.
It is a single-engined, propeller driven lightweight 2-seater aerobatic aircraft, designed for private and general aviation use.The Falco was sold in kit or plans form for amateur construction.

The design was adopted in the US in the 1980s and converted to kit form. The aircraft is regarded as one of the best handling, strongest, and most aesthetically pleasing designs made available to home builders, with high performance includes a 200mph max speed and 6g aerobatic capability, powered by a 160hp Lycoming O-320-B1A air-cooled flat-four engine.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Aviamilano Nibbio

The Aviamilano F.14 Nibbio  is a four-seat, single engine cabin monoplane from the late 1950s.

The Nibbio is a conventionally laid out,low wing monoplane, seating four in two rows. It is a scaled-up version of Frati's successful two seat F.8 Falco. The Nibbio has a wooden structure and is mostly plywood skinned with fabric overall, though the rear control surfaces have only fabric covering.The Nibbio first flew on 16 January 1958.

The upper fuselage line merges into the cabin glazing over a baggage space behind the rear bench seat. The front seats have dual controls and the cabin access is via a starboard side door.
The Nibbio is powered by a 180 hp Lycoming O-360 air-cooled four cylinder horizontally opposed engine, fed fuel from one fuselage and two wing tanks. It has an electrically retractable tricycle undercarriage with hydraulic brakes and a steerable nosewheel. The max speed of the aircraft was around 210mph.

Including the prototype, just eleven aircraft were completed.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Aviamilano Scricciolo

The Aviamilano P.19 Scricciolo  "Wren" was a light civil trainer aircraft built in the 1960s.

The Scicciolo was designed to compete in a competition by the Aero Club d'Italia for a light civil trainer. The aircraft was evaluated by the Milan Aero Club and the CVV P.19 emerged victorious and two batches of twenty-five were produced at Aviomilano.

It is a low-wing monoplane with tailwheel undercarriage, some were fitted with tricycle gear and designated P.19Tr. The pilot and instructor sat side by side under a large bubble canopy. The fuselage was of fabric-covered steel tube construction while the wings and tail surfaces were made of wood with plywood covering.

After 1964, a few examples were fitted with a 150 hp Lycoming O-320 engine, ( instead of the standard 100hp Continental O-200-A air-cooled flat-four ) , for use as glider tugs and designated P.19R

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Breda A.4

The Breda A.4 was a biplane trainer produced in Italy in the mid-1920s.

It was of conventional configuration with a two-bay unstaggered wing and seating for the pilot and instructor in tandem open cockpits.It made it`s first flight in 1926 with a 130hp 6-cylinder water-cooled in-line engine.Aside from civil use, the A.4 was also adopted by the Regia Aeronautica as a trainer. At least some examples were produced in floatplane configuration as the A.4idro.

Production versions were powered by a 180 hp Hispano-Suiza 8 V-8 water-cooled piston engine, and known as the A4 HS.Max speed was around 100mph with a 80 mph cruise.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Breda A.7

The Breda A.7 was a reconnaissance aircraft developed in Italy for use by the Regia Aeronautica in 1929.
It was a parasol monoplane of conventional configuration with tailskid undercarriage. The pilot and observer sat in tandem, open cockpits. A single prototype of a long-range example, originally designated A.7 Raid and later A.16 (or Ba.16) was also constructed, but the air force showed no interest in it.

14 aircraft were completed fitted with various engine types, from 400hp to 510hp.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Breda A.9

The Breda A.9 was a biplane trainer produced in 1928 for the Regia Aeronautica. It featured a single-bay, unstaggered wing cellule and fixed tailskid undercarriage.
The student and instructor sat in tandem, open cockpits. A slightly smaller version, designated A.9-bis was developed for use in Italy's aeroclubs.

It was powered by a 25HP Isotta-Fraschini Asso 250 6-cylinder water-cooled in-line piston engine, which gave it a max speed of 115mph or a cruise of 95mph.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Breda Ba.15

The Breda Ba.15 was a two-seat light aircraft produced in the late 1920`s.

It was a high-wing braced monoplane that seated the pilot and passenger in tandem within a fully enclosed cabin. Ba.15s were fitted with a wide variety of engines,the most popularly selected was the 110hp Walter Venus, but some were powered by Cirrus III, de Havilland Gipsy, Colombo S.63, Walter Mars I, and Isotta-Fraschini 80 T engines.

Some Ba.15s were operated by the Regia Aeronautica, one example is preserved at the Science Museum in Milan. A Ba.15 was bought in 1929 by an Italian resident in Paraguay, Nicola Bo. The plane had the Italian civil registration I-AAUG. This aircraft was later sold to the Paraguayan Military Aviation and used in the Chaco War as a light transport plane with the serial T-8. It was destroyed in an accident in 1933.

[attachment deleted by admin]