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Macchi M.39 Schneider Cup


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In general I wait until I have some visual material to show before I open a new thread, but in this case the beginning is more like a statement of purpose for the new year and the layout of the type background.

 

The Italian Macchi M.39 was a racing seaplane designed specifically to compete on the Schneider Trophy of 1926, which it won, piloted by Mario de Bernardi.

Five similar machines were built, three for racing purposes with a Fiat AS.2 engine (the other two flown by Ferrarin and Bacula), and two for training purposes which had a similar but less powerful Fiat engine.

They followed the design lines that were found by almost all competitors to work better, namely twin-float braced monoplanes, of extremely refined streamlining that used surface radiators.

As I mentioned in previous threads, before even thinking of building, I dedicate time and effort to research, which invariably pays off big time. And this is no exception.

To start with, many photos captioned as a Macchi M.39 are actually of the very similar (but not identical) Macchi M.52 and 52R. Therefore the first task is to sort out the photos, helped by three clues:

-The M.52s had a much pronounced arrow angle for the wings

-The M.52s had slightly larger wing radiators

-The M.52s had different motifs on the fuselage and tail.

-The M.52 had a slightly different windshield.

(Four, four clues -Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition)

 

After studying from photos you promptly realize:

-that representations of the M.39 in drawings and 3views are often inaccurate, since they include the graphic motifs that the M.52 had. As the winner of the Schneider, the M.39 had only the number 5 on the sides, no Italian tricolore on the rudder, and no fascia roundel on the fuselage.

-that the machine at the Vigna di Vale  museum has a different, much later scheme than that wore at the race, and a wooden prop, used only on the practice machines, and not the Reed metal prop used on the race.

-That the windshield of the museum machine is again slightly different than the one seen in photos of the winning machine.

 

As an additional achievement, the Macchi M.39 established soon after the Schneider win a new speed record.

 

 

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I was gifted some years ago (Thank's David!) this book that has been extremely useful ever since:

49270108631_3f31367baf_h.jpg

 

I found it to be a much more reliable source of information than other known publications.

It contains photos and plans of the involved machines, which is helpful given that no kits exist of many of those planes.

I have in the past scratched a couple of them:

A 10-year old build:

 

 

 

and another built from the utterly inadequate (put it very politely) Delta2 kit:

 

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As you look at images of the M.39 at the Vigna di Valle museum, you will also notice nearby a rather strangely-looking Schneider participant, the Fiat C.29 built for the 1929 race.

Whilst the lines of comntemporary racers are carefully blended and the impression they give is of elegant streamlining, the Fiat machine surprises as somewhat bulky and ungainly.

It was apparently a fundamentally flawed design, and its issues were never fixed.

Therefore, and because there is no kit for it either, I want to scratchbuild it too.

I hope I am not overstretching.

The C.29 did not actually participate in the race (too ugly maybe?) but since it still exists, and also a sunken one was re-discovered short time ago, I thought I would try.

If this second Schneider project, unlike the original, ever comes tu fruition, I will open a separate thread for it.

 

 

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Regarding the M.39, naturally -as universally known- all available plans differ in some minor way among them, and all also differ, to some degree...from reality.

This is a very common occurrence, and I don't fuss over it too much, also given that when you (or anyone else) prints a plan you are further introducing dimensional changes related to printer, type of file, etc.

I start to pay attention when discrepancies are noticeable. In this case it's the floats' length.

Study showed that, predictably, several were tried, and the stated numbers in sources may refer to any of those, but the ones on the plans (although there are variations) are generally a tad short compared to actual photos, so I will agree, as usual, with the photos.

At this point I already got the floats done (to my relief, because it is a sticky point in this type of scratchbuild) adapting some from the generic Aeroclub vac sheet, of which I still have a few treasured partial sections.

The rest will be solved as usual with a carved wood fuselage and styrene sheet flying surfaces, as per the other related scratchbuilds linked above, plus the addition of lengths of Contrail and Strutz airfoiled material.

(Don't you love how you can theorize freely, and all goes fantastically well?)

 

One particular detail to have in mind as you build the wing is that the panels were asymmetric, the left wing a bit larger in span to compensate for the brutal torque of the powerful engine.

 

 

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Psychological survival at the annual family rebellion. I found a scale model rock to hide under. Imagine how fast these floatplane racers would be if they didn't have floats slowing them down.

Edited by busnproplinerfan
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57 minutes ago, busnproplinerfan said:

Psychological survival at the annual family rebellion. I found a scale model rock to hide under. Imagine how fast these floatplane racers would be if they didn't have floats slowing them down.

At least here the first meal of the series is over.

You know, that organic material called British food*.

I might even survive this annual ordeal with the help of the BMers.

 

*No, I can't be expelled from Britmodeller, I am too adorable.

 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, Moa said:

At least here the first meal of the series is over.

You know, that organic material called British food*.

I might even survive this annual ordeal with the help of the BMers.

 

*No, I can't be expelled from Britmodeller, I am too adorable.

 

 

 

Like it's said on The Red Green show, "I'm pulling for ya"

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The Schneider cup and the M.39, what’s not to like? I look in on all your builds, Moa, but this one will be of special interest to me.

 

Feliz Navidad, Moa.

 

Dennis

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  • 2 weeks later...
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On 1/3/2020 at 1:30 PM, Moa said:

For those interested in some free Schneider background reading, there is a downloadable old NACA report:

THE SCHNEIDER TROPHY CONTEST
By Alfred Richard Weyl

Here:

https://ia802601.us.archive.org/4/items/NASA_NTRS_Archive_19930094705/NASA_NTRS_Archive_19930094705.pdf

With some plans and photos of racers at the end

 

On 1/3/2020 at 1:46 PM, Moa said:

Another old NACA report related to the Schneider Trophy, about the Piaggio Pegna PC7:

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19930094725.pdf

 

Thanks for these, Moa. Fantastic.

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