2008 09 07 - Philadelphia - Budd BB-1 Pioneer 01

The Savoia-Marchetti S.56 was an Italian single-engine

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

flying boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...

trainer and tourer, built by

Savoia-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 ...

. Of unequal

span Span may refer to: Science, technology and engineering * Span (unit), the width of a human hand * Span (engineering), a section between two intermediate supports * Wingspan, the distance between the wingtips of a bird or aircraft * Sorbitan ester ...

, the upper longer than the lower, Donald 1997, p.820. of wooden construction. Instructor and student sat side by side in separate

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 ...

s, with dual controls; a third cockpit was located just aft that. It used a 52 kW (70 hp)

Anzani Anzani was an engine manufacturer founded by the Italian Alessandro Anzani (1877–1956), which produced proprietary engines for aircraft, cars, boats, and motorcycles in factories in Britain, France and Italy. Overview From his native Italy, An ...

. The S.56A had a slightly longer span and 60 kW (80 hp) Anzani, and was turned into an

amphibian Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terres ...

by addition of manually retractable

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...

. Private owners and

flying club A flying club or aero club is a not-for-profit, member-run organization that provides its members with affordable access to aircraft. Many clubs also provide flight training, flight planning facilities, pilot supplies and associated services, as ...

s purchased at least 12, and ''

Regia Aeronautica The Italian Royal Air Force (''Regia Aeronautica Italiana'') was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the monarchy was abolis ...

'' operated four (differing in engine specification, including 96 kW

FIAT A.53 The Fiat A.53 was a seven-cylinder, air-cooled radial piston engine developed in Italy in the 1930s as a powerplant for aircraft. Applications * Caproni Ca.100 * CNA Delta * Fiat TR.1 * Savoia-Marchetti S.56 Specifications (A.53) See also R ...

, 101 kW

FIAT A.54 The Fiat A.54 was a seven-cylinder, air-cooled radial engine developed in Italy in the 1930s as a powerplant for aircraft. Amongst others, it powered the Ambrosini SAI.1 and SAI.2 racing aircraft. Applications * Ambrosini SAI.1 * Ambrosini SAI ...

, and

Walter Venus Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ca ...

s, among others). The S.56A proved popular in the U.S., and the

American Aeronautical Corporation The American Aeronautical Corporation (AAC) was founded in October 1928 by Enea Bossi, located at 730 Fifth Avenue in Port Washington, New York. Its purpose was to build Savoia-Marchetti seaplanes under license. Licenses were acquired for both ...

(AAC) set up licence production in 1929, relying on the 67 kW (90 hp)

Kinner Kinner Airplane & Motor Corp was an airplane and engine manufacturer, founded, in the mid-1920s, in Glendale, California, United States, by Bert Kinner, the manager of Kinner Field. Kinner's chief engineer was Max B. Harlow who later founded the ...

K5 radials for power for three two-place aircraft and over 40 three-seaters. This was followed in 1930 by the S.56B, powered by the 93 kW (125 hp)

Kinner B-5 The Kinner B-5 was a popular five cylinder American radial engine for light general and sport aircraft of the 1930s. Design and development The B-5 was a development of the earlier K-5 with slightly greater power and dimensions. The main change ...

, with an enclosed cockpit. Another was converted to a single-seater and given additional

fuel tank A fuel tank (also called a petrol tank or gas tank) is a safe container for flammable fluids. Though any storage tank for fuel may be so called, the term is typically applied to part of an engine system in which the fuel is stored and propel ...

s, as the S.56C, for an attempted round-the-world flight by American businessman Smith Reynolds. In 1931, the

Budd Company The Budd Company was a 20th-century metal fabricator, a major supplier of body components to the automobile industry, and a manufacturer of stainless steel passenger rail cars, airframes, missile and space vehicles, and various defense products ...

built an all-metal S.56 as the Budd BB-1 ''Pioneer''.

Operators

Military operators

; *''

'' ; *

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

; *

Royal Romanian Naval Aviation The Romanian Naval Aviation was the air arm of the Royal Romanian Navy. It was founded in 1920 as ''Escadrila de hydroplane'' (Seaplane Squadron) and operated Hansa-Brandenburg W.29 floatplanes and Hansa-Brandenburg FB flying boats. These were foll ...

Civilian and government operators

; *

New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

operated 6 biplanes built under license in the US by

Aircraft on display

*''NC349N'', built under licence in the US by

and used by police during the

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

years to intercept rum smugglers is in the

Cradle of Aviation Museum The Cradle of Aviation Museum is an aerospace museum located in Garden City, New York on Long Island, established to commemorate Long Island's part in the history of aviation. It is located on land once part of Mitchel Air Force Base which, tog ...

, Long Island, New York. *A restored S.56 is on display at the Carolinas Aviation Museum located at Charlotte Douglass International Airport, in

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

, North Carolina.

Specifications (S.56B)

Savoia_Marchetti_S-56_3-view_Aero_Digest_June_1929

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * {{Portal bar, Italy, Companies, Aviation ''This page contains material originally created fo
Savoia-Marchetti S.56
' S.56 1920s Italian civil utility aircraft Flying boats Biplanes Amphibious aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1924