Fiat AS.1 on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Fiat AS.1 was a light touring aircraft developed in
Fiat
in Flight, April 4, 1930 {{Fiat aircraft AS.1 1920s Italian sport aircraft Parasol-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1928
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
in the late 1920s.
Design and development
The AS.1 was a basic and conventional design: aparasol wing
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
with tailskid undercarriage and seating for two in tandem open cockpits. The type proved extremely popular, and the production run would eventually extend to over 500 machines, with roughly half of these purchased by the ''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 Regio Esercito, Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the mon ...
'' as trainers and liaison aircraft. Construction was of wood throughout, covered by plywood, fabric, and (around the nose) metal. A later development, designated TR.1 featured a metal structure and a shorter span wing.Thompson, p.135-6, p.174
AS.1s were used successfully in a number of competitions and record-breaking events. In August 1929, they participated in the Challenge 1929
The Challenge 1929 was the first FAI International Tourist Plane Contest (french: Challenge International de Tourisme), that took place between August 4 and August 16, 1929 in Paris, France. Four Challenges, from 1929 to 1934, were major aviation ...
international contest, and in January 1930, an AS.1 piloted by Renato Donati
Renatus is a first name of Latin origin which means "born again" (natus = born). In Italian, Portuguese and Spanish it exists in masculine and feminine forms: Renato and Renata. In French they have been translated to René and Renée. Renata ...
with mechanic Gino Capannini
Gino may refer to:
* Gino (given name)
* Gino (surname)
* Gino (film), ''Gino'' (film), a 1993 Australian film
* ''Gino the Chicken'', Italian TV series
See also
*
*Geno (disambiguation)
*Gino's (disambiguation), various restaurants and fast ...
was used to set endurance, distance, and altitude records in its class, respectively 29 h 4 min 14 s, 2,746.2 km (1,706.4 mi) and 6,782 m (22,251 ft). On 28 December 1932, Furio Niclot
Furio Niclot Doglio, MOVM (24 April 1908 – 27 July 1942) was an Italian test pilot and World War II fighter pilot in the ''Regia Aeronautica''. Doglio set nine world aviation recordsMariano Lanciani
Mariano is a masculine name from the Romance languages, corresponding to the feminine Mariana.
It is an Italian, Spanish and Portuguese variant of the Roman Marianus which derived from Marius, and Marius derived from the Roman god Mars (see al ...
used a 127 kW (170 hp) CNA C-7
The CNA C-7 was a small nine-cylinder supercharged, geared, single row radial engine designed in Italy in the early 1930s. Three light aircraft class world altitude records were set by the CNA C-7 powered Fiat AS.1 and CNA Eta.
Applications ...
, 9-cylinder radial engined example to set the seaplane altitude record in its class at 7,362 m (24,154 ft).FAI General Aviation World Records database Swapping wheels for pontoons, the same aircraft went on to set the equivalent landplane record two days later at 9,282 m (30,453 ft).''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft'', 1778 Long-distance feats included flights from Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
to Mogadishu
Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Oc ...
and Vercelli
Vercelli (; pms, Vërsèj ), is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, ...
to Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
(both by Francis Lombardi
The Carrozzeria Francis Lombardi was founded in 1947 in Vercelli, Italy, by noted pilot Carlo "Francis" Lombardi. They originally engaged in some aeronautical design, but this soon ended. Their most famous car was the Lombardi Grand Prix, which ...
and Gino Capannini) and an aerial circumnavigation of Africa by Francis Lombardi, Count Lodovico Mazzotti Lodovico is an Italian masculine given name, and may refer to:
* Cigoli (1559–1613), Italian painter and architect
* Lodovico, Count Corti (1823–1888), Italian diplomat
* Lodovico Agostini (1534–1590), Italian composer
* Lodovico Altieri (18 ...
, and Mario Rasini
is a character (arts), character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in ...
who covered 27,600 km (17,150 mi) in 54 days.
The TR.1 also had competition successes in 1931 in the Giro Aereo del Piedmonte and the Giro Aereo d'Italia.
Variants
* AS.1 - initial version withFiat A.50
The Fiat A.50 was a seven-cylinder, air-cooled radial engine for aircraft use built in Italy in the 1930s. It was first run in 1928, it had a bore and stroke of 100 mm × 120 mm (3.94 in × 4.72 in)(6.6 L / 402.6 cuin) and was rated at ...
engine.
** AS.1 Idro - floatplane version.
** AS.1 Sci - ski-equipped version.
* AS.2 - version with strengthened structure and Fiat A.50 S
The Fiat A.50 was a seven-cylinder, air-cooled radial engine for aircraft use built in Italy in the 1930s. It was first run in 1928, it had a bore and stroke of 100 mm × 120 mm (3.94 in × 4.72 in)(6.6 L / 402.6 cuin) and was rated at ...
engine.
* TR.1 - version with metal structure, shorter span wing (9.00 m; 29 ft 6.5 in) and enclosed cabin.
Operators
; *Brazilian Air Force
"Wings that protect the country"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = Hino dos Aviadores
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 22 May (anniver ...
- One aircraft.
;
*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 na ...
;
*Spanish Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = Spanish Air and Space Force Anthem
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 10 December
, equipment ...
Specifications (AS.1)
Notes
References
* * * * * * *External links
Fiat
in Flight, April 4, 1930 {{Fiat aircraft AS.1 1920s Italian sport aircraft Parasol-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1928