MDriskill Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 (edited) These photos have appeared in several published references...with no comment on the rather large difference between them. The C.202 fuselage had 19 vertical frames, numbered in factory drawings from 0 (firewall) to 18 (tail cone attachment). The page below is from Maurizio di Terlizzi's excellent Valiant book on the C.202. The lower photo has the three normal upper openings, for: gun bay (A, frames 0 to 4); cockpit (B, frames 4 to 7); and radio access cover (C, frames 12 and 13). But the upper shot has another large opening between frames 7 and 10, with doubled-up vertical reinforcing on the sides, at frames 8 and 9! A change during production? Was a 2-seat trainer being planned? Other ideas? Edited March 4 by MDriskill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Work In Progress Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Hard to see it as anything else: presumably someone at the factory playing with proof-of-concept to see how it could be done. There was some chatter about a two-seat version of the predecessor MC.200 but AFAIK it never came to anything. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 5 hours ago, MDriskill said: Was a 2-seat trainer being planned? It's also a similar size to the front seat opening, which makes it quite likely. Back then, I think a lot more off-the-cuff changes and installations were tried, with variable documentation, than with modern by-the-numbers aviation engineering, where everything is calculated and tested virtually before they even cut rib one. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 Very interesting, never noticed that picture before., even if I have it in a book... None of the books I have mentions plans for a two-seater. I have the "nomenclatore" for the 202 and the drawings all show the configuration seen in the lower picture. The prototype had a longer glazed area but pictures show how this covered structural elements, so not an empty section as in the picture posted above... guess some more research is needed here 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbob Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 Just an ignorant left-field thought, but do we know for certain from the evidence within the photo itself that it IS a 202 fuselage structure? That is, could it be some derivative/family member, perhaps going off in some experimental direction? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaudioN Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 On 2/2/2024 at 5:09 PM, MDriskill said: But the upper shot has another large opening between frames 7 and 10, with doubled-up reinforcing at frames 8 and 9! A change during production? Was a 2-seat trainer being planned? Other ideas? Comparing the two images, I'd say there are two additional frames between frame 7 and frame 8. The logical consequence would be that the top image shows the structure of a two-seater of some kind. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zigomar Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 In fact this is the only known picture of a possible pizza Owen equipped MC 202! A Napolita for me please! In all Humor, cheers!😂 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaudioN Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 (edited) 3 hours ago, Zigomar said: In fact this is the only known picture of a possible pizza Owen equipped MC 202! A Napolita for me please! In all Humor, cheers!😂 Of course... cold pizza is an awful thing, you really need fast delivery. Edited February 8 by ClaudioN 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiampieroSilvestri Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 1 hour ago, Zigomar said: In fact this is the only known picture of a possible pizza Owen equipped MC 202! A Napolita for me please! In all Humor, cheers!😂 Mais seulement si le four est au feu de bois.Toute autre chose est pas acceptable.🙂 Saluti Giampiero Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Work In Progress Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 (edited) 2 hours ago, gingerbob said: That is, could it be some derivative/family member, perhaps going off in some experimental direction? not sure I under stand the question: by definition, a two-seater would be a "derivative or family member" of the 200/202/205 family, and we can be sure this was experimental since no such production aircraft, or even complete airframe, has ever been noted Edited February 8 by Work In Progress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaudioN Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 1 hour ago, GiampieroSilvestri said: Mais seulement si le four est au feu de bois.Toute autre chose est pas acceptable.🙂 Now I get why the experimental project was discontinued... the firewood storage compartment moved the aircraft C.G. unacceptably aft. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiampieroSilvestri Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 (edited) It could be the fuselage of the Macchi MC205N Orione or the MC206. Saluti Giampiero Edited February 8 by GiampieroSilvestri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 Why would that need double frames? or a space at the top? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tempestfan Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 I assume to carry the weight of the stone plate. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiampieroSilvestri Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 On 08/02/2024 at 17:47, Graham Boak said: Why would that need double frames? or a space at the top? The Macchi MC205N Orione was much longer at the front and the rear because of the four machine guns installed in the fuselage.The MC205N-2 had the two machine guns on the sides moved into the wings. Saluti Giampiero 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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