Savoia-Marchetti p.58
| Savoia-Marchetti p.58 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Flying boat |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
August 25, 1924 |
| Number of pieces: |
2 prototypes |
The Savoia-Marchetti S.58 was a double-decker flying boat with a flat-bottomed wooden hull, which was to become the successor to the SIAI S.13 as a fighter aircraft .
history
In 1923 the Regia Marina published a tender for a new fighter flying boat in the Italian Navy, the successor to the SIAI S.13 . SIAI took part in the tender with the S.58, but was narrowly defeated by the Macchi M. 41bis in 1929.
In order to be able to participate in the tender of the Navy, SIAI launched a new project with the S.58. The designer of SIAI presented his concept to the Navy in 1924, orienting himself heavily on the S.51 and adding new developments from the S.56 and S.57. It had to be an agile, fast and stable fighter aircraft. He relied on the Hispano-Suiza -42 engine with 300 hp and the proven two-bladed propeller. The single-seat flying boat should also be equipped with two 7.7 mm machine guns. The S.58 took off for the first time on August 25, 1924 and set a new world record for flying boats with a load of 250 kg and a climb rate of 6.5 m / s. However, none of the aircraft that took part in the tender was up to the requirements of the Navy. In a new tender in 1927, SIAI again took part with the S.58 in the S.58bis version, but upgraded the machine with a Fiat A 20 with 420 hp in order to add more power to the scales. Two 7.7 mm Vickers machine guns were chosen as armament . With subsequent improvements, they participated in the third tender of the Navy in 1929 with the slightly improved version S.58ter and was only barely defeated by the Macchi M.41bis. However, it was agreed that the naval aviators bought the prototypes for training with the naval aviators.
construction
The S.58 was a double-decker flying boat with a flat-bottomed wooden hull that was reinforced with metal. It had an open cockpit that a pilot could sit in. The Fiat A 20 engine with 420 hp was, as with its predecessors, attached in the middle of the upper wing. It is worth mentioning the V-shaped tail unit, the reinforced construction of the wings and an aileron on the upper wing, which had already been successfully installed on pages 56 and 57. The machine guns were installed rigidly in the aircraft fuselage in front of the cockpit. The first version was equipped with a Hispano-Suiza-42 engine with 300 HP. In order to be able to keep up with the competition in the second tender, an improved version with a Fiat A20 12 cylinder V-engine with 420 hp was developed, which was called page 58bis. In the third tender in 1929, additional metal reinforcements were made on the fuselage and the wings and the pilot was given a headrest; this military version was listed under p.58ter.
Versions
| version | Data |
|---|---|
| P.58 | Prototype of the S.58 with a Hispano-Suiza-42 engine with 300 HP (1924) |
| P.58bis | P.58 with a Fiat A 20 with 420 hp (1927) |
| P.58ter | improved page 58 with a Fiat A 20 with 420 hp (1929) |
Users
-
Italy : 2
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| length | 9.1 m |
| span | 11.25 m |
| height | 2.75 m |
| Wing area | 29.1 m² |
| Empty mass | 1117 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 1477 kg |
| Cruising speed | approx. 235 km / h |
| Top speed | approx. 267 km / h |
| Range | unknown |
| Engines | 1 × Fiat A 20 12-cylinder V-engine with 420 hp and 2-blade propeller |
| Armament | 2 × 7.7 mm Vickers machine guns (.303) |
photos
- P.58 airwar.ru
- 58 giemmesesto.org
- 58 side view on giemmesesto.org
Web links
- SIAI p.58 Documentation with pictures in Italian
- Documentation of the SIAI p.58 with pictures in Russian
Individual evidence
- Bignozzi / Gentili - Aeroplani SIAI 1915/1935 - Ed. AI
- R. Gentili - L'aviazione da caccia italiana. 1918/1939 - Ed. AI
- G. Evangelisti - Gente dell'aria - Ed. Olimpia
- A. Curami / G. Gambarini - Catalogo delle Matricole Militari della Regia Aeronautica 1923/1943