Jure Miljevic

Hello Giampiero No, Jetliner was designed for jet power from the start. Another clue: name of intended engines for the airliner in question was connected with migration. Cheers Jure

The first prototype was provisionally powered by two piston engines, the second was intended to receive four engines of a new type, at that time still under development. Cheers Jure

No, with "best trimotor in the world" I was referring to airliners like DC-7C and Starliner. Cheers Jure

Hello, Karearea Thank you for the links. I read about Don Bennet's version of how the names had been chosen, but I never heard about this one. Which would have been another "best trimotor in the world", had the planned, but never built, second prototype been developed into production airliner? Cheers Jure

Whanganui (or Vanganui), perhaps? One of the methods of marking a target by path-finders and also a river in New Zealand, legally granted personhood? Cheers Jure

Hello, Karearea Correct! Fokker F.III first flew in 1921 and was a development of F.II, but with unusual off-centreline engine installation. The only version without this arrangement was the one powered with Gnome radial engine. While German Junkers F.13 was clearly superior passenger aircraft, she was hampered by insuficient engine power due to Versailles treaty limitations. In Holland Fokker F.III was quite popular. Cheers Jure

Hello, Giampiero No, Universal came later and she was produced by Fokker America. The aircraft in question was initially built in Holland, but later also in Schwerin. Comparing to the F.II she had wider fuselage so all five passengers sat in a cabin. Cheers Jure

Hello, so close, Giampiero, but all F.II versions had engine installed on plane's longitudinal axis. Try again! Cheers Jure

The aircraft was developed from Fokker F.II. Cheers Jure

Due to her modest size commercially she fared better than the competition of converted WW I bombers, deemed to large by the airlines. Cheers Jure

Hello, Tempestfan That would be Reggiane Re.2000 Falco I. I have both Supermodel and Italeri Re.2000 kits (and also more accurate Special Hobby), and Italeri kit has engraved panel lines and some other tweeks (slightly deeper fuselage, opened canopy, fuselage hump behind it as a separate piece ...). Cheers Jure

Cockpit was so small that instruments (all six of them) were placed in a wing cut-out left and right of pilot's head. Cheers Jure

Hello Dave Correct! Box top photo from Scalemates: Cheers Jure

Hello Which early airliner had cockpit and engine installed side-by-side so pilot could make slight adjustments during flight? Cheers Jure

Hello, Giampiero Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario perhaps? The name would explain astronomical (actually astrological part), she was of course one of the "5" series fighters, which was built in very small number. The rest, of course, is totally new to me. Cheers Jure

Hello! Congratulations, it is BMW VI. It was still in use post-WWII in Yugoslavia, installed in at least two ex-NDH Do 17 E/F aircraft, converted to transports. License built version M17 also powered a handful of remaining R-5 in Soviet Union, Iran and Mongolia. During Polish campaign III./KG 77 still flew Do 17 E bombers with BMW VI engines, although they were replaced shortly afterwards. It also powered some other minor types, like He 60 maritime reconnaissance aircraft, which flew combat missions in Greece and on Crete. Second line use also included courier aircraft like He 70. Possibly some of the older types with BMW VI engine had been later converted into nuisance bombers. BMW VI was twelve cylinder V-version of six cylinder inline BMW IV, which in turn was developed from WWI BMW IIIa. Max Friz started working on this famous engine before the name of the company had been changed from Rapp to BMW. Earlier in the war Rapp produced V-8 engines for Austro-Hungarian air force, which was the first V-engine of the company. All three types were overcompressed and oversized. I think for BMW VI version with the highest compression ratio "zero-altitude" was set on 3200 m. In thin high altitude air engine overcompression certainly helped, but while volume of the air would be sufficient, its mass would not, hence oversized engines. There was a NACA paper on this topic, translated from German, which offers detailed explanation, but I cannot find it on the web at the moment. Black Knight: agreed, Hispano-Suiza originally was Spanish company (owned by Spaniard and with chief engineer being French from Suisse), but from 1914 on its main factory was in Bois-Colombes in Paris. I understand vast majority of HS WWI aircraft engines had been built there. Over to you, Sean. Cheers Jure

It was not a French engine. By the beginning of the WWII most of the non-radial engines in the country of its origins were of inverted V configuration. Cheers Jure

It was produced under license in two other countries. Cheers Jure

It is often erroneously believed that was the first V-engine, produced by that manufacturer. Cheers Jure

Hello! Which oversized and overcompressed aircraft engine was still in regular service post-WW II, albeit not in the land of its origin? Cheers Jure

Perhaps Reggiane Re.2000 GA Falco? Built with with integral wing tanks to reach Italian colonies without refueling? Cheers Jure

Hello WillDeeks Symbol of 9 Gruppo was Baracca's (later Ferrari's) prancing stallion. Post-WWI the unit also included 97 Squadriglia. Cheers Jure

Thank you! However, with so many revealing tips it was not at all difficult to find an answer. And now I know where Gamba di ferro squadron badge comes from. I did not prepeare my question, so back to you, Giampiero! Cheers Jure

Hello, Giampiero Ernesto Botto? Cheers Jure

I thought LaGG-3 windshield na bulged tail undercarrige doors were features of early La-5 production? Neverhteless, the stunning model. Cheers Jure