Piaggio P.2
| Piaggio P.2 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
1923 |
| Commissioning: |
1924 |
| Number of pieces: |
2 |
The Piaggio P.2 was the prototype of a fighter plane made by the Italian manufacturer Piaggio .
History and construction
In 1923 the Pegna Bonmartini workshops began building the prototype of an aerodynamically designed aircraft, which was a very advanced design at the time. The P.2 was a single-seat, cantilevered low-wing aircraft, the hull of which was made of wood in a shell construction and was planked with plywood and covered with fabric. The machine was armed with two synchronized machine guns, which fired through the propeller circle. The aircraft was actually built around the 224 kW water-cooled V8 engine Hispano-Suiza HS 42 . In 1923 Piaggio bought the company; the prototype was completed in the same year. Two prototypes were built to compete for a new Regia Aeronautica fighter aircraft . The P.2 was probably ahead of its time, as the Italian Ministry of Aviation distrusted a monoplane; In addition, the performance achieved did not correspond to that predicted by Giovanni Pegna , which is why there was no series production. However, the Italian Air Force bought one of the prototypes for extensive testing.
Military use
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| length | 7 m |
| span | 10.58 m |
| height | 2.20 m |
| Wing area | 20.08 m² |
| Empty mass | 867 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 1182 kg |
| Cruising speed | 186 km / h |
| Top speed | 233 km / h |
| Service ceiling | ? m |
| Range | 2.40 h |
| Engines | 1 × V8 engine Hispano-Suiza HS 42 with 224 kW (305 PS) |
| Armament | 2 × machine guns |
See also
literature
- William Green, Gordon Swanborough: The Complete Book of Fighters. An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Every Fighter Aircraft Built and Flown. Smithmark Publishers, New York 1994, ISBN 0-8317-3939-8 .
Web links
- Piaggio P.2 - fighter (english)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Green, Swanborough, p. 471
- ↑ http://www.airwar.ru/enc/fww1/piaggiop2.html (ru), accessed on June 24, 2013
