SIAI S.51

SIAI S.51
Role Racing flying boat
National origin Italy
Manufacturer SIAI
First flight 1922
Primary user Italy
Number built 1

The SIAI S.51, Savoia Marchetti S.51 or Savoia S.51 was an Italian racing flying boat built by SIAI for the 1922 Schneider Trophy race.

Design and development

The S.51 was a single-seat sesquiplane flying boat. Its 224-kilowatt (300-horsepower) Hispano-Suiza 8A V8 engine, mounted on two N struts above the hull and below the upper wing, drove a two-bladed propeller in a pusher configuration. The inclined interplane struts were mounted in a V configuration. The lower wings had small stabilizing floats mounted on inclined struts so that they hung below and outboard of the outer tips of the lower wing.[1]

SIAI later based the design of the hull of its S.58 flying boat fighter of 1924 on that of the S.51's hull.[2]

Operational history

Italy entered the S.51 in the 1922 Schneider Trophy race along with two Macchi M.17 flying boats in competition with a British Supermarine Sea Lion II flying boat. The race was held at Naples on 12 August.[3][4]

The S.51 capsized in an accident during the seaworthiness trials before the race.[5] Righted by its crew, it completed the race, piloted by Alessandro Passaleva but could only take second place, with the Sea Lion a comfortable 2 min 22 s ahead. The course required 13 laps, a total distance of 370 km (230 mi), over which the S.51 averaged 229.57 km/h (142.65 mph).[3][4]

On 28 December 1922 the S.51, flown again by Passaleva, set a world speed record for seaplanes of 280.155 km/h (174.080 mph).[6][7]

Operators

 Kingdom of Italy

Specifications

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 8 m (26 ft 3 in)
  • Wingspan: 10 m (32 ft 10 in)
  • Height: 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)
  • Wing area: 23 m2 (250 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 780 kg (1,720 lb)
  • Gross weight: 1,080 kg (2,381 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 8F (Type 42) V-8 water-cooled piston engine, 220 kW (300 hp)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 280 km/h (174 mph; 151 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 230 km/h (143 mph; 124 kn)

See also

Related lists

Notes

  1. ↑ "Artwork of Savoia S.51 by Hideaki Ozawa". Hydroretro.net. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  2. ↑ Green and Swanborough, p. 527.
  3. 1 2 "La semaine d'hydraviation de Naples et la Coupe Jacques Schneider". L'Aérophile: 311–12. 1–15 October 1922.
  4. 1 2 "Le semaine d'Hydraviation de Naples". L'Aéronautique: 297–8. September 1922.
  5. ↑ "Schneider victor's welcome home". Flight. XIV (35): 495. 31 August 1922.
  6. ↑ "IPMS Racing & Record Aircraft SIG - Record List". Ipmsairrace.org. Archived from the original on 2012-03-02. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  7. ↑ "The Baltimore navy seaplane meeting". Flight. XVI (47): 733. 20 September 1924.

References

  • Schneider Trophy 6th Edition August 1922
  • Society of Air Racing Historians: Schneider Cup Races
  • ipmsairrace.org
  • Green, William, and Gordon Swanborough. The Complete Book of Fighters: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Every Fighter Aircraft Built and Flown. New York: SMITHMARK Publishers, 1994. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8.
  • Vašiček, Radko. "When Seaplanes Ruled the Sky." Aviation History, September 2002


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