I will add an excerpt from my book "The Russian Aero-marine" (
www.brunodemichelis.com):
"An excellent import (better late than never….)
SAVOIA-MARCHETTI S-55
Wingspan 24 m
Length 16.5 m
Height 7 m
Empty weight 5750 kg
MTOW 10000 kg
Engines 2 x 880 hp “Asso”
Max. speed 280 km/h
Range 4000 km
Ceiling 5000 m
This catamaran-flying boat, possibly the most successful in the world during the years
between WWI and WWII, was designed in Italy in 1922 by A. Marchetti as an open sea,
long-range torpedo-bomber. Its unorthodox parallel hulls, of wooden construction, were
covered in plywood and double-layered below the water line with a water-proof padding,
assuring strength and long life. The prototype flew in 1923 with positive results, in spite of
using two 300 hp Fiat engines, fairly marginal for its weight. During the following years,
the S-55 was at first converted to a passenger liner and then definitely re-considered as a
military craft. The engines used were more powerful and the result was remarkable: in
1926, equipped with two 500 hp “Asso” engines, the S-55 achieved 14 world records,
including speed, altitude and distance with a heavy payload. During the following year, the
same craft, re-baptized “Santa Maria” (in honor of Cristoforo Colombo’s caravel)
completed a round tour of the Atlantic (well before Lindberg’s solo flight) leaving from
Sesto Calende (near Milan, Italy), flying to West Africa, then to Rio de Janeiro, Buenos
Aires, New York and back to Italy. It covered 30,000 miles in 193 flying hours, with 50
stops. That was not enough: in 1933, ten years after its maiden flight, the final version of
this incredible flying boat, equipped then with 880 hp Isotta-Fraschini “Asso” engines and
three-blade propellers, left once more the aviation world in astonishment. A squadron of
twenty four S-55s, commanded by Gen. Italo Balbo, flew non-stop in close ”V” formation
from Orbetello, near Rome, Italy to the grounds of the “Century of Progress” Exposition in
Chicago, Illinois, USA. Then the whole squadron flew back to Italy in the same fashion.
The flying time was 48 hours each way, without a glitch. This achievement gave origin to
the expression ”Balbo formation”, used since when referring to a large, spotlessly flying
squadron. In spite of having unsuccessfully tried to acquire these torpedo-bombers since
1927, the USSR could only purchase six S-55s in 1932, when the GVF received them in
their most recent version. Even when transformed into passenger carriers, they still showed
the bomb riggings, that were not removed after a series of tests for special weapons, carried
out in Sevastopol during 1933. The very reliable S-55s were mostly used by the Far East
airlines, between Vladivostok and Petropavlov, until their retirement in 1939.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kach22i
Did you catch that the second from the top picture shows dials in the support strut for the engine?
Can you guess what the picture above is?
I need help to ID this model (see picture below), I am stumped. It was in the showcase at the airport. If you look at it real close, parts of it look like a stealth bomber or flying wing. Pretty cool hey?
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