- Macchi M.39
The Macchi M.39 was a racing
seaplane designed and built by the Italian aircraft company Macchi Aeronautica in 1925-26. The plane, piloted by Mario Bernardi won the 1926Schneider Trophy .The M.39 was designed by
Mario Castoldi as a single seater, twin-float racing plane. Powered by aFiat engine producing some 880 hp it reached a winning speed of 396 km/h (246 mph) at the Schneider Trophy contest held atHampton Roads ,Virginia .According to "Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation", Macchi was essentially ordered to produce a winning plane by Italy's
fascist dictatorBenito Mussolini . Later Italian seaplanes (the M.52, M.52R, and M.67) failed to defeat rival entries (mostly from theUnited Kingdom ). However, the final seaplane created by Macchi, the M.C.72 set a world speed record which would not be broken (due in part to the end of development of racing seaplanes).Related planes
*
Supermarine S.6
*Curtiss CR-3 References
* "Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation "(1989) pg. 618
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