The SIAI-Marchetti S.205 is an Italian four-seat, single-engine, light airplane, manufactured by

SIAI-Marchetti SIAI-Marchetti was an Italian aircraft manufacturer primarily active during the interwar period. History The original company was founded during 1915 as SIAI (''Società Idrovolanti Alta Italia'' - Seaplane Company of Upper Italy). As suggested ...

. The S.205 made its maiden flight in 1965. The

Italian Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello , mascot = , anniversaries = 28 March ...

employs a version called S.208.

Development

The S.205 was the brainchild of the SIAI-Marchetti head designer Alexander Brena in 1964. Brena wanted to make a light, general-purpose aircraft, which led to the S.205. The aircraft was all-metal, low-winged, single-engined and provided space for four persons. Further development led into the S.208, which had a 260 hp engine, retractable landing gear, and 5 seats. Other planned, but never realized versions were the S.206 and S.210. Approximately 65 fuselages were transported to the United States, to be assembled in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

by the

Waco Aircraft Company The Waco Aircraft Company (WACO) was an aircraft manufacturer located in Troy, Ohio, United States. Between 1920 and 1947, the company produced a wide range of civilian biplanes. The company initially started under the name Weaver Aircraft C ...

. With the death of Mr. Berger, the president of the company, the assembly of the S.205 came to a halt in the US.

Operational history

The Italian Air Force acquired 45 aircraft for use as liaison, glider-towing, and training aircraft. The military version, called S.208M, differed from the civil version through its avionics, its two doors for the cockpit, the possibility to mount a hook to tow gliders, and the lack of some fuel tanks. The first 4 delivered aircraft were S.205s, but were later converted into S.208s. Two aircraft were also sold to Tunisia, who used them for pilot training. Many S.205 aircraft were purchased by private pilot owners in Europe and elsewhere.

Variants

;S.205: basic version, metal, single-engine four-seat airplane, the F version had a fixed undercarriage, while the R version had a retractable undercarriage. It was offered with three different engines: :S.205 F/R-18: Avco

Lycoming O-360 The Lycoming O-360 is a family of four-cylinder, direct-drive, horizontally opposed, air-cooled, piston aircraft engines. Engines in the O-360 series produce between 145 and 225 horsepower (109 to 168 kW), with the basic O-360 produc ...

:S.205 F/R-20: Avco Lycoming IO-360-A1A :S.205 F/R-22: Franklin 6A-350C1 ;S.206: 6-seat version, never realized ;S.208: 5-seat version with a 260 hp engine and a retractable undercarriage ;S.208M: military version for the Italian Air Force ;S.208AG: agricultural version, also used as an aviation-ambulance. ; S.210: twin-engine version.

Operators

Civil

The aircraft has been registered in some 27 countries in Europe, Africa, the Americas and Australia.

Military

; *

Ethiopian Air Force The Ethiopian Air Force (ETAF) () is the air service branch of the Ethiopian National Defence Force. The ETAF is tasked with protecting the national air space, providing support to ground forces, as well as assisting civil operations during natio ...

; *

Italian Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello , mascot = , anniversaries = 28 March ...

operates 44 SIAI-Marchetti S.208M since 1968 ; *

Tunisian Air Force The Tunisian Air Force ( ar, جيش الطيران, french: Armée de l'Air) is one of the branches of the Tunisian Armed Forces. History The Tunisian Air Force was established in 1959, three years after Tunisia regained its independence from ...

Specifications (S.205-20/R)

References

{{Portal bar, Italy, Companies, Aviation S.205 1960s Italian military utility aircraft Low-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1965