Another Big Fiat - actually Macchi with 2 Fiat V12 engines in tandem

[ohiorider]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLRLhZJsCh4

Another Fiat-powered beast!

[John A]

That is an incredible machine, those Itialians can build some stuff!

[Pisano]

Thanks for posting that!

[Roebling3]

Truly astounding for the era. A many know; Those props were counter rotating. The  separate panels on the pontoons were oil radiators. All that and beautiful, too.  R3~

[Roebling3]

My 'octo' brain has been looking for another, very unusual Schneider Cup racer. Today I found a reference.
Many on this list fly and/or have known Piaggio has been in the airplane business for many years.
The Schneider Cup off water racer I was trying to recall is the Marquette Piaggio c.7.

I believe it is ca, 1929. It rides on 2 small water foils, rather than wheels or pontoons. Besides a forward propeller it has a marine prop aft to get up on plane and clear the prop. I believe the conventional propeller is then engaged to reach flight speed.

I recall the original found its way to the US many years ago and that sometime around the'70's it wound up in CT.
I saw pictures of parts @ the time. It was gloss black. If you search for 'Marquette Piaggio c.7' You will find a radio controlled version flying off water, in Italy, ca. 1988. R3~ 

[pehayes]

I was amazed when I first saw the real deal at an aviation museum on Lago Bolsena in the Maremma region of Italy.

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

[John Croucher]

How much faster with out the pontoons? 

[ohiorider]

How much faster with out the pontoons?

Don't know if it was ever flown that way.  I think the 'formula' for the Schneider Trophy Races specified that the racers be floatplanes.  I recall reading that part of the evaluation was a taxi test, to assure the plane didn't sink during the test.  Some amazing machines from Supermarine, Curtiss, and others participated in these races.  It appears the Macchi didn't participate in the Schneider. 

[ScepticalScotty]

I think Macchi and Macchi-Ansoldo did try to compete but they had a lot of machine trouble. The Supermarine S6 and S6B were much simpler concepts, and much more reliable. The Rolls-Royce "R"  - 37 Litre and 2800hp matched the airframe perfectly. And RR had some real experts on fuel mixtures.

[Daniel Kalal]

How much faster with out the pontoons?

Fixed-pitch propellers; no runway is long enough to get off the ground. Imagine your Guzzi with only 6th gear available.

[ohiorider]

Fixed-pitch propellers; no runway is long enough to get off the ground. Imagine your Guzzi with only 6th gear available.

Never thought about that, but an interesting point!

Bob

[Tusayan]

Did you ever wonder why the current "MV Agusta" factory is on the banks of Lake Varese?  And why some of the buildings look like hangars?

"MV Agusta" => Cagiva => Aermacchi => Macchi Aeronautica