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The Ambrosini Sagittario was an Italian aerodynamic research aircraft based on the manufacturer's
S.7. New
swept wing
A swept wing is a wing that angles either backward or occasionally forward from its root rather than in a straight sideways direction.
Swept wings have been flown since the pioneer days of aviation. Wing sweep at high speeds was first investigate ...
s and
tail surfaces of wooden construction were fitted to the S.7
fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...
. The wing leading edge was swept at 45 degrees. At first, the S.7's
piston engine
A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is typically a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common featu ...
was retained and the aircraft was known as the Ambrosini S.7 Freccia (Arrow).
After several test flights in this configuration (the first on 5 January
1953
Events
January
* January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma.
* January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo.
* January 14
** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...
), the piston engine was removed and replaced with a
Turbomeca Marboré
The Turbomeca Marboré is a small turbojet engine that was produced by Turbomeca from the 1950s into the 1970s. The most popular uses of this engine were in the Fouga CM.170 Magister and the Morane-Saulnier MS.760 Paris. It was also licensed for ...
turbojet
The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, and ...
of 3.7 kN (840 lbf)
thrust
Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's third law. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction, the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction to be applied to that syst ...
, and the aircraft renamed the Sagittario. The engine air inlet was in the extreme nose, and the exhaust was routed out the bottom of the fuselage, under the
cockpit
A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a Pilot in command, pilot controls the aircraft.
The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the ...
. The
tail wheel
Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms ...
undercarriage
Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include:
*The landing gear of an aircraft.
*The ch ...
was retained, so special shielding was added to protect the tail wheel from the engine exhaust.
The later
Aerfer Sagittario 2
The Aerfer Sagittario 2 (Italian for '' sagittarius'') was a prototype all-metal single-seat lightweight fighter aircraft built in Italy by Aerfer, intended to serve as an interceptor or light tactical support aircraft. First flown in 1956, it b ...
differed in having a tricycle undercarriage and fully transparent cockpit glazing.
Operators
;
*
Italian Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 28 March ...
operated the only aircraft for evaluation test
aeroflight
/ref>
Specifications
See also
References
Bibliography
*
*
* ''Flight'', 24 April 1953, pp. 508–509
{{Ambrosini aircraft
Sagittario
1950s Italian experimental aircraft
Single-engined jet aircraft
Low-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1953