Italian aircraft photos

[MDriskill]

Like most oldsters I'm not a social media buff...but if your interests include WW2 Italian aircraft, there are Facebook discussion groups worth exploring. They get a lot of posts from Italy, and new-to-me photos appear regularly.

 

These three superbly clear photos of a brand new Macchi C.200 (note the empty white octagon on the rear fuselage apparenty awaiting its 1st Stormo "Archer"), from the "Regia Aeronautica" FB group, are an example. They are the best pics of a wartime Saetta I've ever seen.

 

 

 

[GiampieroSilvestri]

The first picture can be found in Aviolibri special vol.5,Macchi MC200 Saetta by Maurizio Di Terlizzi on page 12.The aircraft is from 81a squadriglia.

 

Saluti

 

Giampiero

Edited February 29 by GiampieroSilvestri

[fubar57]

Middle one is found here, 2019..... https://svppbellum.blogspot.com/2019/11/il-macchi-mc200-saetta.html

[spitfire]

Great Photos, as I am about to start my PCM C200 build they will come in very handy, thank you for posting them

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[quangster]

Thanks @MDriskill. I’m readying for the upcoming 1/32 Italeri.

[JWM]

On the third from top photo the prop blade has a logo, the oval recalls Hamilton, was it a Hamilton prop or if not - whose logo it is?

[GiampieroSilvestri]

35 minutes ago, JWM said:

On the third from top photo the prop blade has a logo, the oval recalls Hamilton, was it a Hamilton prop or if not - whose logo it is?

Piaggio.

 

Saluti

 

Giampiero

[MDriskill]

Giampiero nailed it! The propeller was a Piaggio design, the P.1001. The light color on the front of the blades was called "Celeste," on Macchis typically a blue-gray color, and the blue-and-white oval is the Piaggio logo. Later on props were finished in black though.

 

The C.202 Folgore also used the P.1001. The C.205 Veltro used the P.2001, which looks very simiilar but had slightly wider blades. (If you are working in 1/72 scale, look at the 3D printed P.1001 from Airone Hobby. MUCH better than any kit prop, really a great boost on a model.)

 

You will sometimes see this same prop with the airframe manufacturer's logo on the prop blades - Macchi (below) or Breda. Kora makes a nice small decal sheet with Italian propeller logos, in 1/72 and 1/48.

Edited March 6 by MDriskill

[JWM]

Actually I am doing now SM 73, and I've noticed something like Hamilton logo, and here akso, therfore I asked. Do you think, was it Hamilton or Piaggio on Savoia?

[GiampieroSilvestri]

The Savoia Marchetti SM73 had Alfa Romeo engines so it probably had a Alfa Romeo badge on the propeller.

 

Saluti

 

Giampiero

[MDriskill]

4 hours ago, JWM said:

 

I am only guessing as I know nothing about historic Italian propeller production, but I'd guess it was more likely the actual manufacturer of the prop in Italy, even if they were working under a Hamilton Standard license. Then again, for a pre-war civilian airliner like the S.73...who knows.

Edited March 5 by MDriskill

[JWM]

Here is the exact SM 73 which I am trying to do:

It is machine imposed to RA, not obviously from Italian company, The engines looks like a Bristol (original or licensed) the props are a bit unique with the angle regulation. The logos are well seen and they recalls to me Hamilton one...

Regards

J-W

[MDriskill]

Here is a proper Hamilton Standard logo:

 

And this terrible fuzzy image is from the Kora decal sheet of Italian prop logos that I mentioned. The instructions describe them as "FIAT-Hamilton" on the left, and "Piaggio" on the right.

 

SO...I vote for FIAT-Hamilton on your S.73 photo! No doubt the small script near the propeller blade in the logo was different; the lower line must have referred to "FIAT" instead of "Nash Kelvinator," for instance.

 

Wikipedia says the S.73's engines were Piaggio P.IX's, copies of a French Gnome-Rhone design. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_Stella_P.IX . Various Alfa radials (copies of the Bristol Mercury and Jupiter) were often used on similar types of aircraft.

Edited March 6 by MDriskill