Savoia-Marchetti p.56

Savoia-Marchetti p.56
Type:	Flying boat
Design country:	Italy
Manufacturer:	SIAI Savoia
First flight:	1924
Number of pieces:	<50

The Savoia-Marchetti S.56 is a flying boat made by the Italian manufacturer Savoia-Marchetti .

With the S.56, SIAI realized the need for a smaller double-decker flying boat for tourism and coaches in the 1920s. The aircraft was not only produced in series, but also under license to other countries.

history

With the new S.56, SIAI has found a market niche in the flying boat industry and achieved another success. The aircraft was made of wood, could be equipped with a wheeled landing gear and was relatively cheap to buy. The machine had an open cockpit and could be controlled by the pilot as well as the copilot and was therefore suitable as a trainer for pilot training. In addition to the two pilots who were sitting next to each other in the pilot's cockpit, a passenger could be taken behind the pilot. The Savoia-Marchetti S.56 was equipped with a 70 HP radial engine from Anzani and a wooden two-bladed propeller. With an improved engine from Anzani with 80 HP, SIAI took part in the regular air race "Sea Cup" in Naples, but without winning a prize in the class. Later on, the Fiat A53 (115 HP), Fiat A54 (135 HP), Siemens & Halske Sh 11 (100 HP) and Walter Venus (110 HP) engines were installed. Three flying boats were delivered to Somalia and six to Romania for pilot training, twelve more machines were sold to aero clubs and private individuals in Europe. In 1929 a license for the S.56 was sold to the USA, which produced a two-seater version in an edition of 40 with a Kinner K5 engine developing 90 hp for a price of $ 7,000. Three machines were delivered to the New York Police Department, the rest were used on the coasts as far as Alaska. In 1930 the Budd Company built a license production under the name Budd BB-1 Pionieer as an all-metal aircraft. An extended version was made with four seats and was fitted with a nine-cylinder engine, but further details are unknown.

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  P.56 A

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  P.56

technology

Budd-BB-1 pioneers

The Savoia-Marchetti S.56 was a double-decker flying boat with a canoe-shaped wooden hull with a motor that, like its predecessors, was attached to the center of the upper wing. Except for a few metal parts, the machine was made entirely of wood. The engine mount of the Anzani radial engine with 70 hp was made from steel spars. The innovations included the new V-shaped tail unit, the reinforced construction of the wings and an aileron on the upper wing. The series was equipped with a Fiat A53 with 115 HP and later with a Fiat A54 with 135 HP, but also with a Siemens-Halske Sh 11 with 100 HP or with the Walter Venus with 110 HP on customer request. The US version of the S.56 was called S.56 B and was equipped with a Kinner K5 with 90 hp and later also with a Kinner B-5 up to 125 hp. With the version S.56 C, which was manufactured under license in the USA, the range of the machine was increased by an additional tank in the upper wing. In 1930 the S.56 was produced by the Budd Company in the USA as an all-metal aircraft under license under the name of Budd BB-1 Pionieer . The aircraft was made of 0.5 mm sheet steel with a five-cylinder in-line engine Kinner C-5 with 210 HP (157 kW), so a better durability and resilience of the machine should be guaranteed.

Technical specifications

Parameter	Data
crew	2 pilots
Passengers	1-2
length	7.8 m
span	10.72 m
height	2.99 m
Wing area	26.5 m²
Empty mass	658 kg
Takeoff mass	975 kg
drive	a Fiat A53, 115 PS (approx. 80 kW), two-bladed propeller
Cruising speed	approx. 126 km / h
Top speed	approx. 144 km / h
Range	350 km

Versions

version	Data
P.56	Prototype of the S 56 with an Anzani radial engine with 70 hp
P.56 A	The civil flying boat was built at the customer's request with different engines: • Fiat A53, 115 PS (approx. 80 kW) • Fiat A54, 135 PS (approx. 100 kW) • Siemens-Halske Sh 11, 100 PS (approx. 70 kW) • Walter Venus, 110 PS (approx. 80 kW)
P.56 B	USA license with Kinner K5, 90 PS (approx. 70 kW), later with Kinner B-5, up to 125 PS (approx. 90 kW)
P.56 C	USA license, single seater with additional fuel tanks with increased range
Budd BB-1 pioneers	In 1930/31 the S.56 was produced under license by the Budd Company in the USA as an all-metal aircraft. The aircraft was made of 0.5 mm sheet steel with a five-cylinder in-line engine Kinner C-5 with 210 HP (approx. 150 kW)

Users

•  Italy : 3 Regia Marina
•  United States : 43
•  Somalia : 3
•  Romania : 6
•  Europe : 20 aero clubs and private users

literature

• Bignozzi / Gentili: Aeroplani SIAI 1915/1935 - Ed. Ed.AI
• A. Curami / G. Gambarini: Catalogo delle Matricole Militari della Regia Aeronautica. 1923/1943

Web links

Commons : Savoia-Marchetti p.56  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Documentation of the S 56 with pictures (Italian)
• SAVOIA p.56 (Russian with pictures)