The slightly less well known

[Angry Turnip]

IMAM Ro.41

The IMAM Ro.41 was a light biplane fighter aircraft, serving in the Regia Aeronautica in the 1930s-1940s, mainly as a trainer.

The first prototype flew on the 16th June 1934 , and was fitted with a Piaggio P.VII engine, and showed itself to be very agile, with excellent climb performance, and no noticeable vices.
A third prototype had a Piaggio P.VII C.45 with two-stage compressor, giving 390 hp at 4,000 m. This was the definitive version of this aircraft, and fifty aircraft,were ordered. This first series entered service in July 1935.

The Ro.41 was of mixed construction, the fuselage of chrome-molybdenum steel frame, covered in fabric. Duralumin covered the bottom and upper fuselage, and also the engine cowling. The wings were made of wood covered with fabric. There was a fixed undercarriage.Armament, when fitted, was two 7.7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns mounted inside the fuselage, with 850 rounds.

The Ro.41 found a role as a trainer aircraft, for which it was well-suited, and a series of 30 two-seat aircraft first flew in 1937. The Ro.41 replaced the Breda Ba.25, and soon another 264 single-seat and 66 two-seat models were ordered.
The aircraft was also proposed as light fighter. Twenty-eight were sent to Spain where, thanks to their high rate of climb, they acted as defence interceptors, though it appears that they did not score any victories.

The Ro.41 is almost unknown, compared to many other Italian aircraft, despite being one of the most numerous produced, in its 16-year career, total production reached 753 aircraft.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Partenavia P.48 Astore

The P.48 Astore was a 1950s light aircraft built by Luigi Pascale and his brother before establishing Partenavia.

The Astore was a strut-braced high-wing cabin monoplane with a fixed tailwheel landing gear. It had two seats in tandem and was powered by a 65 hp Continental A65 engine.
The prototype and only Astore, registered I-NAPA, was built in a garage in Naples and first flew in 1952, it`s max speed was 115 mph with a cruise of 90 mph.
Just one aircraft was built.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Partenavia P.52 Tigrotto

The Partenavia Tigrotto was a 1950s light aircraft built by Partenavia in Naples.

The Tigrotto was a low-wing cabin monoplane with a retractable tailwheel landing gear. It was a two sitter,side-by-side and was powered by an 85 hp Continental C85 engine.
The prototype and only Tigrotto, registered I-CARB, first flew in 1953.
The aircraft had a useful max speed of 146 mph and a cruise of around 125 mph.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Partenavia P.53 Aeroscooter

The Partenavia Aeroscooter was a 1950s single-seat light aircraft fitted with a two-bladed rotor.

It first flew on 2nd April 1952,and was a low-wing monoplane powered by a 22 hp Ambrosini P-25 piston engine in the nose.Above the enclosed single-seat cockpit a pylon was to have been fitted with an autorotating, unpowered two-bladed rotor which was to reduce the stalling speed and the rate-of-descent if the engine failed.

Max speed was 93 mph, with a cruise of 75 mph, like their earlier aircraft the Aeroscooter was a one off.
The Aeroscooter survives and is on display at the Museo Storico Dell Aeronautico Militare Italiana.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Partenavia Tornado

The Partenavia P.55 Tornado is a 1950s high-performance competition and touring monoplane.

The Tornado was a small mid-wing monoplane with a retractable tricycle landing gear. The aircraft was powered by a nose-mounted 150hp Lycoming O-320 piston engine.
This was enough to give the aircraft a max speed of 216 mph and a cruise of 188 mph.It made it`s first flight in 1955

The aircraft was commissioned to win the Tour of Sicily (it: Giro di Sicilia), and it won the race in 1956. Although the aircraft had won, it was too specialised to enter production and only one aircraft (registered I-REGJ) was built. I-REGJ was destroyed in a crash on 13 June 1958.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Partenavia P.57 Fachiro

The Partenavia P.57 Fachiro is a four-seat, high-wing, touring monoplane, fitted with a fixed tricycle undercarriage.

The 150 hp Lycoming O-320 powered Fachiro I first flew on 7 November 1958, followed by the Fachiro II, on 3 January 1959. A later version, designated the II-f, introduced a swept fin and rudder.
The production Fachiro utilises mixed steel tube-and-fabric construction and is fitted with a 180 hp engine and is aimed at the aero club market and general aviation use.

Max speed was 150 mph with a cruise of 120 mph, in total 37 aircraft were built with a few still airworthy in Italy.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Partenavia P.59 Jolly

The Partenavia Jolly was an Italian two-seat training monoplane designed by Partenavia to meet a requirement for the Aero Club d'Italia.
The prototype first flew on 2 February 1960 and was a high-wing monoplane with a nose-mounted 95 hp Continental engine. It had a fixed tailwheel landing gear and seated two side-by-side in an enclosed cockpit. The aircraft was later re-engined with a 100 hp Continental O-200 engine and the wing span was increased slightly.Max speed was 122 mph with a cruise of 104 mph.

The competition was won by the Aviamilano P.19 Scricciolo and just one Jolly was built.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Partenavia Oscar Series

The Partenavia P.64B/P.66B Oscar is a two/four-seat, single-engined, high-wing monoplane.

The aircraft was developed as an all-metal version of the P.57 Fachiro, the prototype was designated the P.64 Fachiro III and first flew on 2 April 1965.
Improvements were made to the design, mainly strengthing the fuselage to fit a panoramic rear window, and now named P.64B Oscar B it first flew in 1967. Also known as the Oscar 180 powered by a 180 hp Lycoming O-360-A1A piston engine, a 200 hp version (with a Lycoming O-360-A1B engine) was known as the Oscar-200.
Twenty-one machines were delivered to South Africa and assembled locally by AFIC then marketed as the AFIC RSA 200 Falcon.

In January 1976 the company flew a new fully aerobatic version, the P.66C Charlie, and 96 were built, mainly for the Aero Club d'Italia.Over 300 aircraft were completed, in various sub types and with different engine fitments.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Partenavia P.70 Alpha

The Partenavia P.70 Alpha was a 1970s two-seat light aerobatic trainer.

The Alpha was a low-wing monoplane with a fixed tricycle landing gear and powered by a 100 hp Rolls-Royce Continental O-200-A engine. Max speed was 140 mph with a cruise of 120 mph.
The Alpha first flew on the 24 April 1972 but only one was built and it did not enter production as the company was at full capacity producing the Partenavia P.68.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Partenavia P.86 Mosquito

The Partenavia P.86 Mosquito was a two-seat civil trainer aircraft first flown on 27th April 1986.

It was a high-wing monoplane of pod-and-boom construction with tricycle undercarriage and a twin tail, with side-by-side seating for two.

Partenavia created the Aviolight company in 1988 as a joint venture with two other partners to produce the aircraft, with an initial series of 100 aircraft to be powered by a 75 hp Limbach L2000 engine, with modifications to allow certification. No orders were received, and the prototype was the only example produced. Partenavia was declared bankrupt the same year.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Reggiane Re.2000

The Reggiane Re 2000 Falco I was an all metal, low-wing monoplane from the late 1930`s.

The Re 2000 was developed to be a lightly-built and highly agile interceptor/fighter aircraft.On 24th May 1939, the prototype performed its first flight.
Flight tests of the prototype revealed it to be able to outfight several combat aircraft of the time, including more modern Macchi C 200 and the German Messerschmitt Bf 109E fighters.
During the run up to and following the outbreak of the Second World War, the aircraft was ordered by several nations, including the Hungarian, Swedish, British and Italian governments.

Although the aircraft was potentially superior to Italian contemporary fighters, the Re 2000 was not considered to be satisfactory by Italian military authorities.In light of this, the manufacturer built the type for export and almost all of the first production served with the Swedish Air Force and Hungarian Air Force, rather than in the Regia Aeronautica.

The aircraft was powered by a Piaggio P.XI R.C.40 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine 1,000 CV of 986 hp.Max speed was 330 mph with a cruise of 270 mph. In total 186 aircraft were completed including some built under license in Hungary.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Reggiane Re.2001 Falco II

The Reggiane Re.2001 Falco II was a fighter aircraft, serving in the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Air Force) during World War II.

It made it`s first flight in July 1940, powered by an Alfa Romeo R.A.1000 R.C.41-I Monsone V-12 inverted liquid-cooled piston engine,of 1,159 hp. This was a licensed built version of the Daimler-Benz DB 601Aa, which marked a great improvement over the Piaggio engine used in the Re 2000 Falco I.

Much of the Re.2000's fuselage structure was used, even retaining the entire tail unit, the Re.2001's wings were of semi-elliptical design with three spars in each wing. The initial design had conventional fuel tanks with 544 l total capacity. Armament consisted of Breda-SAFAT machine guns, with two nose-mounted 12.7 mm and two 7.7 mm guns in the wings.
The production was to be limited to only 252, but it was a stable,and flexible design that proved to be able to undertake a number of roles. Thanks to its agility it could dogfight with more powerful opponents like the Supermarine Spitfire. The Re.2001 became the basis of a later, even more formidable fighter, the Re.2005.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Reggiane Re.2005

The Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario was a monoplane fighter and fighter-bomber from the mid 1940`s.

It first flew 9th May 1942 and the prototype had four Breda 12.7 mm machine guns and one Mauser cannon.It was powered by a 1,475 hp Daimler Benz DB.605A-1 engine, either of original German production or built by Fiat under license.The sophisticated wing design, often described as elliptical, was semi-elliptical, with wing thickness tapering from 15 percent at the root to 8 percent at the tip.

The Re.2005 was the only Italian aircraft of the war to have hydraulically activated flaps.It was one of the most advanced Italian fighters, but it was also too advanced to be made by the Italian industry and one of the most expensive to produce.The complexity of the Re.2005 design and small dimensions led to the Fiat G.55, being evaluated as a superior choice for mass production.
Total production included two prototypes which later saw combat service, 48 series production, three prototypes sent to the Luftwaffe for evaluation and one evaluation aircraft at the factory.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Piaggio P.2

The Piaggio P.2 was a fighter prototype of advanced design built in 1923.

The P.2 was an aerodynamically clean, single-seat, low-wing, monoplane of very advanced design for the time with either a monocoque or semi-monocoque fuselage and fixed landing gear.
It was built of wood, with plywood skin and fabric-covered control surfaces, and was armed with two machine guns synchronized to fire through the propeller. It had two radiators, one mounted on each side of the fuselage, forward of the open cockpit.

It was powered by a 300 HP Hispano-Suiza HS 42 eight-cylinder water-cooled piston engine which gave a max speed of 145 mph and a cruise of 115 mph.
Piaggio built two P.2 prototypes and entered it for the 1923 Italian official fighter contest. The P.2 was ahead of its time, however the Italian Air Ministry distrusted monoplanes and the P.2's performance did not meet the level that Pegna had predicted, and for these reasons no production order followed.
However, the Regia Aeronautica purchased one of the prototypes for evaluation, taking delivery of it on 23 March 1924.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Piaggio P.6

The Piaggio P.6 was a catapult-launched reconnaissance floatplane designed and built by Piaggio for the Regia Marina.

Piaggio produced two designs for a possible naval contract. The first, designated the P.6bis, was a small biplane flying boat powered by a 260 hp Isotta Fraschini V.6 engine driving a pusher propeller.
The second design designated, the P.6, was a floatplane with one large central float and two stabilising floats at the wingtips and a nose-mounted 410 hp Fiat A.20 engine.
The aircraft had the same biplane wing structure with rigid strut bracing and both were armed with a single machine gun. Just 15 production aircraft were built and the two prototypes.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Piaggio P.8

The Piaggio P.8 was a reconnaissance floatplane designed and built by Piaggio for the Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy).

It was designed the P.8 to meet a requirement for a small reconnaissance seaplane that could operate from a large submarine.The aircraft had to be stowed disassembled in a watertight, cylindrical hangar aboard the submarine. In order to minimize danger to the submarine and the aircraft during flight operations—which required the sub to loiter on the surface while the aircraft was being assembled or disassembled.

The P.8, first flew in 1928, was a single-seat monoplane with twin floats mounted beneath its fuselage and a parasol wing. Its 75-hp Blackburn Cirrus II engine drove a two-bladed propeller and gave it a top speed of 84 mph.None of the five aircraft completed were deployed aboard a submarine.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Piaggio P.16

The Piaggio P.16 was a heavy bomber from the early 1930`s.

The P.16 was a three-engine shoulder-wing monoplane of metal construction, with inverted gull wings. Its wing was thick and semi-elliptical, and its tail was mounted high on the fuselage. It had retractable main landing gear and a spatted, tailwheel.

The aircraft had a crew of four and armament consisted of four 7.62-millimeter (0.3-inch) machine guns, two were mounted in the leading edge of the wing, one in a retractable dorsal turret, and one in the rear of the fuselage under the tail. The bomb-aimer had a compartment behind the nose engine on the underside of the fuselage.
It was powered by 3 Piaggio Stella P.IX R.C.40 9-cyl. air-cooled radial piston engines of 700 hp each. Max speed was 248 mph with a cruise speed of 195 mph.

The P.16 first flew in November 1934, and an order for 12 aircraft was placed and then cancelled after just one was completed, with preference given to the Piaggio P.32, which was produced from 1936 to 1939.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Piaggio P.23R

The Piaggio P.23R, also known as the Piaggio P.123 , was a commercial transport aircraft prototype from 1936.

Piaggio designed the P.23R to break speed records for commercial transport aircraft. It was a three-engine low-wing monoplane with twin tail fins and rudders. The three 900-hp Isotta Fraschini Asso ("Ace") XI R V-12 engines were mounted in aerodynamically clean cowlings, and each drove a three-bladed propeller. The fuselage was pencil-shaped. It had a crew of two sat side by side in separate open cockpits, each protected by a windscreen.
Later it was re-engined with three 1,001-hp Piaggio P.XI RC.40 radial engines and its landing gear was modified, also both cockpits were changed to fully enclosed types with canopies.

The P.23R first flew in 1936. On 30 December 1938, it carried a payload of 5000 kilograms at an average speed of 250.8 mph, setting new world records over both the 1,000-kilometer and 2,000-kilometer distances.
The aircraft`s development was halted in 1939. During World War II, Allied aircraft recognition manuals identified it as a possible Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) bomber.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Piaggio P.32

The Piaggio P.32 was an Italian medium bomber of the late 1930s.

The P.32 was a twin-engine monoplane with a crew of five or six. The main structure was of wood, with a glazed nose, low cockpit, twin tailfins, and an unusual shaped fuselage. It had a dorsal turret with two 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine guns, a ventral turret, a single machine gun in the nose, and it could carry a 1,600 kg (3,527 lb) bombload.
Piaggio designed the P.32 with very small wings for its size. This meant a high wing loading, which required leading edge slats and double trailing-edge flaps to provide enough lift on takeoff and landing.

The prototype made it`s first flight in 1936, leading to an order for 12 aircraft, followed by a second order for five. These aircraft were fitted with 825 hp Isotta-Fraschini Asso XI.RC inline V-12 engines, and were designated the P.32 I, these were very underpowered, and could not fly on one engine.

The P.32 II, was fitted with more powerful 1,006 hp Piaggio P.XI R.C.40 radial engines was tested, and 12 were delivered in early 1938. The more powerful engines gave a better rate of climb, but the increased weight meant there was no improvement in maximum speed, while the range also suffered,because of higher fuel consumption.
The P.32 Is and IIs were taken out of service in April 1938 and were used as training aircraft. In total 28 aircraft plus one prototype were built and flown.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Piaggio P.50

The Piaggio P.50 was an Italian prototype heavy bomber from the late 1930`s, built as two separate models.

The first was, the P.50-I, was a four-engine shoulder-wing monoplane with a single large tailfin and rudder. It was powered by four 730-hp Isotta-Fraschini Asso XI.RC V12 engines mounted in tandem pairs on the wings, with each engine driving one three-bladed propeller; two of the propellers were mounted in a pusher and two in a tractor configuration. The P.50-I had three machine gun positions, including a nose turret

Piaggio built two P.50-I prototypes, the first of which—MM369—flew in 1937.The second was badly damaged in a landing accident. No orders for the aircraft were received.

The P.50-II, appeared in 1938. It was re-engined with four 1,001-hp Piaggio P.XI RC.40 radial engines, each driving a three-bladed propeller, dispensing with the pusher-puller configuration of the P.50-I, instead the engines were mounted separately with all four propellers as tractors. Its defensive armament was increased to five 12.7-millimeter (0.5-inch) machine guns.

Piaggio produced a single P.50-II prototype designated MM371. Again no production ordered resulted for the P.50-II.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Piaggio P.108

The Piaggio P.108 Bombardiere was a four-engine heavy bomber that saw service with the Regia Aeronautica during World War II.

The P.108 was an all-metal, four-engine bomber, with a crew of eight. It had a very strong modern structure (with a six g tolerance), and built almost entirely of duralumin.
The crew included a two-pilot cockpit with five to six crew members located in the mid-fuselage and nose.A noticeable feature was the nose, having a separate structure for the bombardier/bomb-aimer, with the front turret above them.

The aircraft were powered by 4 × 1500 hp Piaggio P.XII R.C.35 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines.Max speed was 270 mph with a cruise of 230 mph. It was armed with 6 × 12.7 mm (.5 in) Breda-SAFAT machine guns and 2 × 7.7 mm (.303 in) Breda-SAFAT machine guns, and could carry 3500kg bombload.

The prototype first flew in 1939 and it entered service in 1941. Four versions of the P.108 were designed, but only one, the P.108B bomber, was produced in any quantity before the armistice. The other variants included the P.108A anti-ship aircraft with a 102 mm (4 in) gun, the P.108C, an airliner with an extended wingspan and re-modelled fuselage capable of carrying 32 passengers.
The P.108T transport version designed specifically for military use. Only one P.108A and 24 P.108Bs were built. Most of the P.108Cs were later modified for use as military transport aircraft and could accommodate up to sixty passengers.Nine P.108 Ts were used by Luftwaffe transport units until the end of the war.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Piaggio P.111

The Piaggio P.111 was a high-altitude research aircraft designed and built by Piaggio for the Regia Aeronautica.

The Regia Aeronautica awarded a contract to Piaggio to construct a prototype of a three-seat, twin-engine, high-speed, high-altitude bomber with a pressurized cabin. Piaggio constructed a new radial engine especially for the P.111, the 999 hp 18-cylinder double-row air-cooled Piaggio P.XII R.C.l00/2v, which was fitted with a two-stage supercharger.
While the P.111 prototype was under construction, the Regia Aeronatica decided to use it as a high-altitude research aircraft rather than a bomber prototype.

Max speed was 357 mph with a cruise of 275 mph, service ceiling was over 39,000ft. The P.111 first flew on 9 April 1941, it made 110 test and research flights before being retired and scrapped early in 1943.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Piaggio P.119

The Piaggio P.119 was an experimental fighter of World War II.

The P.119 was a cantilever monoplane, built entirely of metal, with a conventional wide undercarriage. It had a forward-mounted cockpit, with weapons mounted just behind the three-bladed propeller. It had advanced construction for the time, with many removable panels for internal inspection. The number of components were reduced to a minimum, and also standardized.

It was powered by a 1,500 hp Piaggio P.XV RC 45 radial engine located behind the cockpit, with cooling air intakes fitted under the nose. The propeller was a 10 ft 10in diameter Piaggio P.1002 driven by a shaft running under the cockpit.
The armament was concentrated in the nose; a 20 mm Breda cannon with 110 rounds and four 12.7 mm (0.5 in) Breda heavy machine guns with 2,000 rounds. There was also provision to install another four 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Breda machine guns in the wings with 1,200 rounds in total. An anti-tank version was proposed with a Breda 37 mm (1.46 in) gun, but it was not built.

The aircraft was flight-tested, but it was found that firing all the weapons produced excessive vibration. A landing accident slightly damaged one wing on 2 August 1943. One month later, the armistice with the Allies brought an end to the project with just a single aircraft completed.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Piaggio P.136

The Piaggio P.136 was a twin-engine amphibian flying boat from the late 1940`s.

The design by Piaggio was of a relatively large aircraft, yet still being capable of operations from both relatively rough waters and fairly compact grass air strips. Furthermore, large portions of the aircraft, such as its three-bladed constant-speed propellers, was internally designed by the company.

The Piaggio P.136 was a twin-engine pusher-type amphibian, capable of carrying a maximum of five people with baggage, or a pair of stretchers and a medical attendant. The general configuration and systems remained largely the same across different models, there were some variations in the cabin to suit its customer and intended purpose.
Military versions would often be fitted with alternative instrumentation and radio sets, as well as additional transparent panels in locations like the doors for greater external visibility, civil P.136s would be furnished with more comfortable seating and additional panelling for sound exclusion and insulation.

In 1954, Francis K. Trecker, president of Kearney & Trecker Corporation, was impressed when he witnessed a P.136 in flight, and offered to bring the type to the North American market. A new entity, initially known as the Royal Aircraft Corporation, was formed to distribute the aircraft in Canada, the USA, and Mexico. Trecker secured the right to build complete aircraft, but he typically imported partially-constructed P.136s from Italy and assembled them with additional American-sourced components.

The Italian Air Force was the first organisation to place an order for the type. During the 1950s, they opted to procure a fleet of 14 P.136s, which were used to conduct coastal patrol and air-sea rescue missions. In addition to military sales, the P. 136 also received orders from civilian operators. A number were purchased by individuals and private operators.
Total production was 63 aircraft with a small number still airworthy.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Angry Turnip]

Piaggio P.148

The Piaggio P.148 was a two-seat primary or aerobatic training monoplane designed and built in the early 1950`s.

It was an all-metal low-wing cantilever monoplane with fixed tailwheel landing gear. It offered room for two in side-by-side seating as well as an optional third seat. The prototype first flew on the 12 February 1951 and after testing and evaluation by the Italian Air Force, it was ordered into production for the air force primary training schools. A four-seat variant was developed as the P.149.

The aircraft was powered by a Lycoming O-435-A air-cooled flat-six engine of 190 hp,which gave a max speed of 145 mph and a cruise of 125 mph.

Italy operated over 70 aircraft from 1951 until 1969 when the P.148 was withdrawn from use with the introduction of an all-jet training programme. However n 1970, the aircraft was re-introduced into the Italian Air Force Service, when the basic piston-engine aircraft regained a role in the selection of pilots.They were finally retired from service in 1979.

[attachment deleted by admin]