Paul Fiedler of Wiener Neustadt made several flights in this neat machine during the summer of 1910. It was originally driven by an Anzani engine, but later with a 40 hp Mercedes. It crashed in December because of engine problems.
Paul Fiedler built his aircraft in Wiener Neustadt, Austria. His second monoplane was built in Autumn 1910 with one of the few 60 hp Mercedes D4F engines that was sponsored by the Princess of Fürstenberg, Fiedlers employer as a teacher. In December 1910 he received his Austrian pilots certificate #19 with this machine at the Steinfeld in Wiener Neustadt.
In December 1910 he received his Austrian pilot’s certificate #19 with this machine at the Steinfeld in Wiener Neustadt.
In early 1911 Fiedler went to Germany to show his new craft and skills to his benefactors – where he had a first big mishap while crossing the upper Lake Constance. His monoplane was badly damaged but rebuilt afterwards.
Fiedler was flying again at the Canstatt meet 6.-8. May 1911.
At the Cannstatter Wasen, probably during the first half of July 1911
He finally visited Donaueschingen, the home of the Prince of Fürstenberg on 23 July 1911.
He then successfully crossed the Bodensee on 15 August, but crashed in the water on 27 August 1911 during a display flight.
Fiedler built his aircraft in Wiener Neustadt, Austria. His 60 hp Mercedes D4F engines sponsored by the Princess of Fürstenberg, Fiedler’s employer as a teacher. In December 1910 he received his Austrian pilot’s certificate #19 with his second machine at the Steinfeld in Wiener Neustadt.
In early 1911 Fiedler went to Germany to show his new craft and skills to his benefactors – where he had a first big mishap while crossing the upper Lake Constance/Bodensee.
The Finnish Utu is a Standard Class single-seater that was designed and built over a three year period by a team of engineers of OY Fibera AB, a company specialising in glassfibre manufacture.
Fibera KK-1e UTU OH-368
The design team was headed by Dipl-lng Ahto Anttila, and the Utu was intended to investigate the structural applications to sailplanes of plastic laminates stabilised with polyurethane foam. The prototype, designated KK-1a, first flew on 14 August 1964, and was followed by four more prototypes, designated KK-1b, c,d and e, each with structural modifications resulting from variations in the constructional techniques used. Tests with these proved the superiority of plastics over conventional wooden construction, and the Utu in due course went into small-scale production, a total of 22 having been built when production ended early in 1970.
Fibera KK-1e Utu OH-355 / 64
The high cantilever wings have single I-spars and no ribs, each wing consisting of a polyester/glassfibre laminate sandwich shell with foam plastic core. The upper-surface hinged ailerons are of glassfibre reinforced plastic shell construction with foam plastic stiffening; there are no spoilers but flaps are fitted. The Utu has a trailing-edge split spoiler/terminal-velocity brake. One surface rotates up like a spoiler and the other splits down like a flap and the resultant air deflection from the upper spoiler drives the wing down in a strong negative lift configuration.
The fuselage is a double shell monocoque with a polyester/glassfibre laminate outer shell and a sandwich-type inner shell of similar construction to the wing. The fin is moulded integrally with the fuselage and has the tailplane mounted on top of it; the tail surfaces are glassfibre-reinforced plastic shells stiffened with foam plastic. There is a nonretractable monowheel with a drum brake, and a tail skid. The one-piece canopy is blended into the forward fuselage shape, and oxygen and radio is installed aft of the pilot’s seat.
Fibera KK-1e Utu
Fibera KK-1 Utu Wing span: 15m / 49.2ft Wing area: 11.24sq.m / 121sq.ft Length: 6.5 m / 21 ft 4 in Height: 1.22 m / 4ft 0 in Empty Weight: 200kg / 441lb Payload: 110kg / 242lb Gross Weight: 310kg / 683lb Wing Load: 27.58kg/sq.m / 5.65lb/sq.ft Water Ballast: 0kg / 0lb Aspect ratio: 20 Airfoil: NACA 63 (3)-618 root. 63(1)-612 tip Max speed (smooth air): 135 kt / 250 km/h Stalling speed: 34 kt / 63 km/h Max rough air speed: 113 kt / 210 km/h L/DMax: 35 @80 kph / 43kt / 50 mph MinSink: 0.61 m/s / 2.0 fps / 1.18 kt at 40 kt / 74 km/h No. of Seats: 1 No. Built: 22
KK-1e Span:49 ft 2.5 in Length: 21 ft 4 in Height: 4 ft 0 in Wing area: 121.6 sqft Aspect ratio: 20.0 Empty weight: 441 lb Max weight: 684 lb Max speed: 155 mph (in smooth air) Max aero-tow speed: 124 mph Min sinking speed: 2 ft/sec at 46 mph Best glide ratio: 35:1 at 50 mph
In 1954, NATO publicised the specifications for the project through the Mutual Weapon Development Programme, announcing a competition which would involve major European aerospace industries. The theme of the contest was obviously the design of a fighter intended to undertake close air support, reconnaissance and light interdiction missions, NMBR/1. Empty weight should not exceed 8 000 lbs (3,630 kg) and the fighter should be easily maintained, with high manoeuvrability and reasonable speed at low level. Fundamental to the project was the capability to operate from grass strips, semi-prepared runways and small airfields. The aim of the project was to release close air support fighters from dependence on traditional large air bases which would surely be amongst the first targets to be destroyed in any conflict. The Italian design emerged as the winner from a number of submissions and would be produced by Fiat Aviazione. It was assigned the designation G-91. An order was placed in June 1955 for three prototypes and 27 pre¬production aircraft.
The airframe low-set wings featured a 37 degrees sweepback, and swept-back tail surfaces. Conventional ailerons, elevator, rudder, and slotted flaps are fitted, and variable incidence tailplane. Two air-brakes side-by-side are fitted under the centre-fuselage. The tricycle undercarriage has single wheels on each unit. The main wheels retract inward into the fuselage and the nose wheel retracts rearward. Fuel tanks in the fuselage can be supplemented by underwing tanks.
Designed by Giuseppe Gabrielli, the first prototype flew on August 9, 1956, powered by a 1837 kg (4050 1b) st Bristol Orpheus B Or.1 turbojet. Control problems arose later during a high speed level run, and the structural failure of the tail caused the pilot to eject. After exhaustive tests on the tail unit the second prototype was fitted with a larger tailplane and a small ventral keel; the cockpit was also raised by some 63 mm (2.5 in). Powered by a 2200 kg (4850 1b) st Bristol Orpheus B Or. 3 turbojet, this aircraft flew for the first time in July 1957. It was equipped with one of the basic sets of armament: four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) Colt Browning machine¬guns, two mounted on each side below the cockpit and each having 300 rounds of ammunition. Alternative installations were two 20 mm (0.79 in) or two 30 mm (1.18 in) cannon (one each side), with 200 or 120 rounds respectively. The guns could be supplemented by two underwing packs of 25 51¬mm (2in), 15 70 mm (2.75 in) or six 127 mm (5in) rockets, or two 250 kg (551 lb) bombs.
Construction was conventional and simple. There was an all metal semimonocoque fuselage built in three sections, with an armoured cockpit fitted with a Martin Baker Mk 4 ejection seat. The nosewheel retracted rearward under the cockpit, the main undercarriage inward into a central fuselage bay. A braking parachute was fitted at the base of the rudder. The first of the preproduction G91s was flown in February 20, 1958, and in August of that year the 103O Gruppo Caccia Tattici Leggeri (Light Tactical Fighter Group) of the Italian air force was formed for operational evaluation. After limited squadron service, 16 of the preproduction aircraft were modified in 1964 for use by the Italian aerobatic team, receiving the new designation G91PAN (Pattuglia Acrobatica Nazionale).
July 1958
Two basic service versions of the original G91 were developed: the 1959 G91R single seat reconnaissance fighter and the G91T tandem two seat combat trainer/tactical fighter. Both had shortened and revised nose housings for three Vinten aerial cameras for forward and lateral oblique photography. Twenty four G91R/Is and the same number of R/IAs (with improved navigational aids) were delivered to the Aeronautica Militare Italiano, together with 50 G91R/111 fighter bombers. These models all carried the armament of four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns, as did the 101 G91T/1 trainers also delivered. It was, however, the Federal German Luftwaffe which employed the largest number of G91s, receiving 344 G91R/3s, nearly 300 of which were built in that country by Dornier, Heinkel and Messerschmitt. Fifty Italian built G91R14s and 66 Fiat/Dornier built G91T/3s, all with twin 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA cannon, also served with the Luftwaffe. The German G91Rs (transferred later to the Portuguese air force) had two additional underwing pylons inboard, each capable of carrying 227 kg (500 lb) of stores.
The initial production variant was the G91R-1 which entered service with the Italian air force at the beginning of the 1960s, this air arm eventually acquiring over 100 similar aircraft. However, it was West Germany which proved to be the major customer, receiving a sizeable batch of Fiat-built G91R-3 aircraft plus a substantial number built under licence by a consortium comprising Dormer, Messerschmitt and Heinkel. The first German-built example of the G91R-3 made its maiden flight from Oberpfaffenhofen during July 1961, and the type entered service with Aufklärungsgeschwader 53 at Leipheim during 1962.
In 1964 West Germany cut down the intended size of its Luftwaffe because of shortages of funds and manpower. They will reduce the nine F-104G Starfighter squadrons to seven, and two Fiat G.91 reconnaissance squadrons instead of four. First line strength will be 380 F-104G’s and 170 G.91’s.
In the event, Germany’s Luftwaffe also operated some 50 or so G91R4 aircraft, originally being earmarked for equal distribution between Greece and Turkey, which eventually rejected them. After a fairly short career with the Luftwaffe, 40 of these aircraft were transferred to Portugal alongside a number of G91 R-3s made redundant when the Luftwaffe re-equipped its light attack units with DassaultBreguet/Dornier Alpha jets in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
In the spring of 1965 details were announced of the G91Y, a single seat twin jet tactical fighter bomber developed as a follow on type for the AMI. Based on the two seat G91T airframe, it incorporated two 1235/1850 kg (2722/4078 1b) st General Electric J85 GE 13A afterburning jet engines, mounted side by side in the rear fuselage and giving 60% more total thrust. Two prototypes (converted G9ITs) were flown on December 27, 1966, and September 1967, respectively. In July 1968 the first of 20 preproduction G91Ys appeared, and orders for a further 45 followed. Delivery of these was completed by mid 1976, and they are now in service with the 1O and 13O Gruppi in Italy. They have provision for JATO (jet assisted takeoff) units which can halve the distance required for takeoff, and three nose¬mounted cameras are fitted as standard. Armament comprises two 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA cannon in the nose, and four under¬wing hardpoints for up to 1814 kg (4000 lb) of bombs, rockets or napalm canisters.
During the 1960s within the ranks of the AMI General Staff (Stato Maggiore), the idea began to emerge of a new type with higher performance than that offered by the G-91R. To avoid protracted development and coincident cost increases, Gabrielli based his design on the same aerodynamic formula as that adopted by the G-91R. Similarly, the requirements specified by the AMI were in part based on those of its predecessor and included high manoeuvrability, high subsonic speed (Mach 0.95) at low level, mechanical simplicity, high operational efficiency and the ability to operate from small fields. Payload and radius of action were greatly increased and a more complex electronic fit was embodied, although this was relatively simple to achieve since the G-91R carried only rudimentary equipment. The new aircraft would be equipped with a navigation and attack system, with a gyroscopic collimator as well as an inertial platform, which at the time constituted a useful electronics fit. Consistent with thinking of the period, no passive or active ECM package was planned. Adoption of a twin-engine formula using two general Electric J85-GE13A turbojets was planned to give the type good flight safety. Nevertheless, the configuration of the air intake system was designed in a way that later caused problems and the loss of some aircraft. The front air intake, shared by both power units, splits into a ‘y’ form near the cockpit and it was this layout which was to be the source of a number of failures. In comparison with the G-91R, the G-91Y features a 24 per cent increase in empty weight, a 73 per cent improvement in payload, a 63 per cent increase in take-off power and double the fuel load. The J85 provides 1,235 kg of ‘military’ thrust, climbing to 1,850 kg when afterburner is selected. The G-91Y was also designed to accept JATO rockets and can utilise a catapult device for take-off, something that necessitated enlargement and strengthening of certain undercarriage components. Installation of a ventral hook allows the use of arrester barriers.
G-91R
With regard to electronics, besides the normal communications equipment, the G-91Y possesses an inertial platform, a position and homing indicator (PHI), a doppler radar, an air data calculator, a radar altimeter, a radio compass and a gyroscopic calculator. Armament comprises two 30 min DEFA 552 cannon with 125 rounds each. External stores are fixed to four wing pylons, two on each side, with a maximum load 1,815 kg. The Yankee is also equipped for daylight tactical reconnaissance and carries three lateral TA-7M2 cameras and a forward-looking KA-60C camera with a rotating prism for panoramic work. All cameras are housed in the nose section. The first prototype G-91Y made its maiden flight from Turin-Caselle on 27 December 1966 and was subsequently used to explore the flight envelope. The second prototype was used for weapons trials and electronic system tests and featured modifications to the windscreen as well as the nose contours. It also had a double engine cooling air intake replacing the original, which was located at the base of the dorsal fin. The flight test programme was rapidly brought to a conclusion and in July 1968 the first production example was flown. Nevertheless, deliveries of the type to operational units only began two years later, as problems concerning the engines had first to be resolved. The first unit to receive the type was the 101st Gruppo of the 8th Stormo, which deployed temporarily to the experimental base at Pratica di Mare for transition to the new aircraft. For nearly four years, the Gruppo was the only one to operate the G-91Y and it struggled to achieve operational status and overcome the problems that construction of only two prototypes had prevented the manufacturer from solving. Later, in 1974, the 13th Gruppo of the 32nd Stormo began transition to the new type which was at last adjudged to be fully operational. In total, production of the G-91Y amounted to some 65 aircraft (MM6441-MM6495 and MM6951-MM6960), to which should be added two prototypes (NIM579 and MMS80). The final batch of eight (MM6961-MM6968) was cancelled and the last Yankee was assigned to the 32nd Stornio in 1976. In addition about 160 examples of the two-seat G91T trainer variant were also completed and this has also seen service with Italy, Portugal and West Germany. The G-91 was also evaluated by the Schweizerische Flugwaffe (Swiss Air Force) as a possible Venom replacement. In the light of Swiss interest, Aeritalia modified a production example (MM6461, c/n 2023), transforming it into the prototype ‘G-91YS’. These modifications comprised the addition of two underwing pylons capable of launching the AIM-9 Sidewinder and the replacement of the nose cameras by a Swedish-designed laser aiming system. The new nose was slightly elongated and two ventral fins were added to the two already present. Maximum takeoff weight rose from 8,700 kg to 9,000 kg, thereby increasing the take-off run by around 20 per cent. The new version was a finalist in a fly-off competition with the Vought/LTV A-7 Corsair II but negotiations were suspended and no other nation showed interest in buying the Aeritalia fighter. Principal versions – G91 (initial light attack model), G91R/1 (attack and reconnaissance model), G91R/1A (version with improved navigation system), G91R/1B (strengthened and updated version of the G91R/ 1A), G91R/3 (West German model with two 30¬mm cannon, Doppler navigation and other im¬provements), G91R/4 (G91R/3 variant with the armament of the G91R/1), G91T/1 (Italian two-seat trainer with two 0.5-in/12.7-mm machine guns), and G91T/2 (West German version of the G91T/1).
G91R Engine: 1 x Fiat-built Bristol Siddeley Orpheus 80302, 5000 lb Wingspan: 28 ft 1 in Wingarea: 176.7 sq.ft Length: 33 ft 9 in Height: 13 ft 1 in Empty weight: 6700 lb MTOW: 11,465 lb Max speed: 668 mph / M0.88 at SL Max ROC: 6000 fpm
G91R/1 Engine: one 5,000-lb (2,268-kg) thrust Fiat-built Rolls-Royce (Bristol Siddeley) Orpheus Mk 803 turbojet. Maximum speed 675 mph (1,086 km/h) at 4,920 ft (1,500 m) Initial climb rate 6,005 ft (1,830 m) per minute Service ceiling 42,980 ft (13,100 m) Radius 199 miles (320 km). Empty weight: 6,834 lb (3,100 kg) Maximum take-off weight: 12,125 lb (5,500 kg). Wing span 28 ft 1 in (8.56 m) Length 33 ft 9.5 in (10.30 m) Height 13 ft 1.5 in (4.00 m) Wing area 176.75 sq ft (16.42 sq.m). Armament: four 0.5-in (12.7-mm) machine guns / 1,500 lb (680 kg) of disposable stores.
FIAT G 91 R3 Gina Engine: Bristol Siddeley Orpheus 801, 22269 N / 2270 kp Length: 33.05 ft / 10.06 m Height: 12.992 ft / 3.96 m Wingspan: 27.986 ft / 8.53 m Max take off weight: 12502.4 lb / 5670.0 kg Max. speed: 580 kts / 1075 km/h Service ceiling: 42979 ft / 13100 m Range: 999 nm / 1850 km Crew: 1 Armament: 4MG 12,7mm 2MK 30mm Hardpoints: 4
G91T/1 Span: 8.60 m (28 ft 2.5 in) Length: 11.70 m (38 ft 4.5 in) Height: 14 ft 7.25 in / 4.45 m Gross weight: 6050 kg (13338 lb) Maximum speed: 1030 km/h (640 mph) at 5000 ft / 1525 m Service ceiling: 40,000 ft / 12190 m
G91Y Engines: two General Electric J85GE-13A turbojet, 1851 kg (4080-1b) afterburning thrust. Maximum speed 1110 km/h (690 mph) at SL Maximum speed 1038 km/h (645 mph) at 30,000 ft / 9145 m Cruise: 497 mph / 800 kph at 35,000 ft / 10670 m Initial ROC: 17,000 fpm / 5180 m/min Time to 42,000 ft / 12200m; 4 min 30 sec Service ceiling 12500 m (41,000 ft) Combat radius at sea level 600 km (372 miles) Ferry range 3500 km (2,175 miles) Empty weight 3900 kg (8,598 lb) Maximum take-off 8700 kg (19,180 lb). Wingspan 9.01 m (29 ft 6½ in) Length 11.67 m (38 ft 3½ in) Height 4.43 m (14 ft 6 in) Wing area 16.42 sq.m (176.74 sq.ft).
The first true jet aircraft built in Italy (discounting the piston¬ engined Caproni Campini N.1) was the prototype Fiat G.80, flown on a 1360 kg (3000 1b) thrust D.H. Goblin turbojet on December 10, 1951. After exhaustive flight development a batch of ten G.80 3B fighter/trainers were built in 1954 and delivered to the Aeronautica Militare Italiana. By this time the same basic tandem seat or single seat design had been developed into the G.82, with modified inlets feeding a fuselage plenum bay housing a Rolls Royce Nene RN.6 21 rated at 2450 kg (5400 lb) thrust. The basic Italian produc¬tion version was the tandem seat G.82 1B with two 12.7 mm (0.5 in) Breda SAFAT machine guns in the nose, and wing racks for two 113 kg (250 1b) bombs or eight 127 mm (5 in) rockets.
The first true jet aircraft built in Italy (discounting the piston¬ engined Caproni Campini N.1) was the prototype Fiat G.80, flown on a 1360 kg (3000 1b) thrust D.H. Goblin turbojet on December 10, 1951. After exhaustive flight development a batch of ten G.80 3B fighter/trainers were built in 1954 and delivered to the Aeronautica Militare Italiana. By this time the same basic tandem seat or single seat design had been developed into the G.82.
From the wartime G.55 fighter the Fiat company developed the postwar G.55A single seat fighter/trainer and G.55B dual trainer, both with 1310 hp Fiat RA. 1050 (licence built Daimler Benz 605) engine.
In 1948 the engine was switched to the Rolls Royce Merlin T.24 or Mk 500, rated at 1630 hp, the former being fitted to the G.59 1 and 2 and the Mk 500/20 the 3 and 4. The 4 had a lower rear fuselage to match a blister hood. In each case the suffix A denoted a single seater and B a dual two-seat version. Single seat versions could have two 20 mm (0.79 in) Hispano cannon and camera gun, and racks for two 100 kg (220 1b) bombs.
G.59-4
Production G.59s were delivered to Italy and Syria. A proposed family of true fighter derivatives with 2000 hp Packard V¬1650 11 (Merlin) engines was not proceeded with.
Among the customers were Argentina, Egypt and Syria.
The Centauro (centaur) was a development of the G.50 with a Daimler-Benz DB 605A-1 inline built under licence in Italy. The type evolved from the DB 601-powered G.50V, and the first of three prototypes was flown on 30 April 1942. The Fiat G.55 Centauro (centaur) was an all-metal low-wing monoplane single seat fighter designed by Giuseppe Gabrielli, with fully-retractable landing gear and a raised cockpit. Flight trials confirmed that this was an excellent fighter, but production was slow to start and only a few of the eventual total of 200 aircraft had been delivered before Italy’s armistice with the Allies in September 1943. The third prototype (MM 493) was the only one to carry armament, comprising one engine mounted cannon and four fuselage mounted machine-guns. It was evaluated under operational conditions from March 1943, but by then the Italian air ministry had already decided on mass production of the G.55.
However, only 16 G.55/0 preproduction and 15 G.55/1 initial production aircraft had been delivered to the Regia Aeronautica by September 1943, production from then being for the Fascist air arm flying alongside the Luftwaffe. Before wartime production ended 274 more were completed and a further 37 were abandoned at an advanced construction stage. Most G.55s thus fought with the fascist air arm on the German side in northern Italy. Three prototypes and eight pre-production aircraft were followed by about 185 G.55 Series 1 fighters. There were also about 10 examples of the G.55S torpedo strike fighter, but none of the G.55 Serie2 bomber destroyer with five 20-mm cannon. After the war 85 more aircraft were delivered as G.55A single-seat fighter trainers and G.55B two-seat advanced trainers. Before the armistice of September 1943, G.55s had participated in the defence of Rome with the 353º Squadriglia of the Regia Aeronautica. The postarmistice operations were mainly with the Fascist air arm’s Squadriglia ‘Montefusco’, based at Venezia Reale, then with the three squadriglie which formed the 2º Gruppo Caccia Terrestre, but losses were heavy, as a result mainly of Allied attacks on the airfields. While the war was still in progress, Fiat flew two prototypes of the G.56, which was developed from the G.55 to accept the more powerful Daimler-Benz DB 603A engine. Built during the spring of 1944, they incorporated minor structural changes and had the fuselage mounted machine-guns deleted. The first prototype survived the war and was used subsequently by Fiat as a test-bed.
G.55 exprimentally fitted with torpedo
FIAT G 55 Centauro Engine: Fiat RA 1050 RC. 58 Tifone (DB 605 A), 1455 hp Length: 30.741 ft / 9.37 m Height: 10.269 ft / 3.13 m Wingspan: 38.878 ft / 11.85 m Wing area: 227.228 sqft / 21.11 sq.m Max take off weight: 8198.2 lb / 3718.0 kg Weight empty: 5799.2 lb / 2630.0 kg Max. speed: 340 kts / 630 km/h at 22,965ft Service ceiling: 41667 ft / 12700 m Wing load: 36.08 lb/sq.ft / 176.00 kg/sq.m Range: 648 nm /1200 km Crew: 1 Armament: 3x MG 151 20mm Mauser, 2x MG 12,7mm Breda-SAFAT, 320 kg (706 lb) Bomb.
Fiat’s Giuseppe Gabrielli produced his proposals for the G.50 single seat monoplane prototype in 1936, at which time it was the most modern fighter design in Italy. Although a contemporary of the Spitfire and Hurricane, it remained to the end extremely lightly armed. The Freccia (arrow) was the first all-metal monoplane with a retractable undercarriage to be evaluated by the Italian air force; the prototype flew for the first time on February 26, 1937, and proved light to handle, with a high degree of manoeuvrability, but somewhat lacking in both engine and fire power. Its powerplant was the 840 hp Fiat A.74 RC 38 14-cylinder two row radial, fitted with a super¬charger and driving a Fiat built Hamilton three blade variable pitch metal propeller. The armament comprised two 12.7 mm (0.5in) Breda SAFAT machine guns mounted forward of the cockpit in the top of the fuselage, synchronized to fire through the propeller arc. The 150 rounds for each gun could be fired in single shots or in salvo.
Production was undertaken both by Fiat and CMASA, a subsidiary, and the first 12 were delivered to the Italian expeditionary forces in Spain in January 1939 towards the end of the civil war. Although too late to give a true indication of their potential under battle conditions, it was decided to continue with a further order for 200 aircraft. The first 45 production G.50s had an enclosed cockpit but Italian pilots preferred the open variety and after testing several designs, an open canopy with hinged, transparent side flaps was adopted as standard. Upon Italy’s entry into the Second World War in June 1940, a total of 118 G.50s were in service: 97 with operational units and the other 21 awaiting either delivery or repair. The 51o Stormo CT at Ciampino was composed entirely of G.50s, and G.50s in company with Fiat C.R.32s made up the 52o Stormo in Tuscany; they were used mainly as escorts during the early days of the war. Fiat G.50s also formed part of the 56o Stormo, based at Maldegern in Belgium, to assist the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain, but they achieved no great success in that theatre and most had been returned to Italy by April 1941. Better results were achieved by the 35 G.50s ordered by Finland in late 1939, although deliveries were initially sporadic due to German interference. How¬ever, after the start of the so called ‘continu¬ation war’ in Finland in June 1941, the Finnish G.50s gave excellent service until withdrawn from the front line in May 1944. A two seat trainer version, also manufactured by CMASA, was pro¬duced. Designated G.50B, it had a second cockpit with dual controls added and the armament installation removed. One hundred and eight were produced, and gave satisfac¬tory service at Regia Aeronautica training units. The initial production series of 246 aircraft were followed by 421 examples of the G.50bis with greater fuel capacity, improved radio and a modified wing. The Regia Aeronautica, meanwhile, utilized its G.50s in Greece, the Balkans, the Mediterranean and North Africa before they began to be replaced by the superior G.50bis The prototype of this was flown for the first time on September 9, 1940, and differed from the original aircraft in having improved fuse¬lage contours, increased fuel capacity, more modern radio equipment, an enlarged rudder, and a modified canopy and armour protection for the pilot. A total of 421 G.50bis were built, and served mainly in North Africa (Libya) from late 1940 until December 1941. Nine were supplied to the Croatian air force. Some G.50bis were fitted with underwing racks at this time, to carry small bombs. The basic G.50B airframe formed the basis of the G.50bis/A two-seat carrierborne fighter with four 12.7-mm (0.5-in) machine-guns. The G.50bis A was an enlarged two seat fighter bomber with better armament and a bigger bombload, plus an arrester hook for service aboard the planned aircraft carriers Aquila and Sparviero. It flew for the first time on October 3, 1942, but after Italy’s surrender all further development ceased and none was produced. This latter was flown only in prototype form, and other prototypes (G.50ter, G.50V, G.51 and G.52) were developed round imported German engines or their Italian licence-built versions. The basic type was also exported to Croatia and Finland.
FIAT G. 50 Freccia Length : 25.558 ft / 7.79 m Height: 9.711 ft / 2.96 m Wingspan : 35.958 ft / 10.96 m Wing area : 195.367 sq.ft / 18.15 sq.m Max take off weight : 5325.1 lb / 2415.0 kg Weight empty : 4354.9 lb / 1975.0 kg Max. speed : 255 kts / 472 km/h Service ceiling : 32267 ft / 9835 m Wing load : 27.27 lb/sq.ft / 133.0 kg/sq.m Range : 362 nm / 670 km Engine : Fiat A. 74 RC.38, 828 hp Crew : 1 Armament : 2x MG 12,7mm Breda-SAFAT
G-50bis Engine: l x Fiat A.74 RC 38, 626kW (840 hp). Span: 10.9m (36 ft 0.75in). Length: 7.8m (25ft7in). Normal T/O weight: 2522 kg (5,560 lb). Max speed: 293 mph at 14,765ft. Operational range: 420 miles. Armament: 2 x 12.7-mm (0.5-in) mg plus 300 kg (661 lb) of bombs
