SIAI S.8

infobox Aircraft
name = SIAI S.8
type = reconnaissance flying-boat
manufacturer = SIAI


caption =
designer = Raffaele Conflenti
first flight =1917
introduced =
retired =
status =
primary user = Italian Navy
more users =
produced =
number built = 214
unit cost =
developed from =
variants with their own articles = The SIAI S.8 was an Italian 1910s two-seat reconnaissance flying-boat.

Design and development

The Societa Idrovolanti Alta Italia (SIAI) was formed in 1915 initially to licence build French flying-boats. The company employed Rafaele Conflenti as Chief Designer and his first design was the SIAI S.8 a two-seat equal-span biplane flying boat first flown in 1917. The Italian Navy ordered 800 S.8s to be built by SIAI and sub-contractors. With the end of the war production was stopped when 172 aircraft had been delivered. Early aircraft were powered by an Isotta Fraschini V4B engine, later aircraft had the more powerful 220hp (164kW) Hispano-Suiza 44.

Operational history

The aircraft equipped five squadrons of the Regia Marina. By 1920 only 63 aircraft survived mostly in storage.

Operators

;flag|Italy|1861
*Italian Navy

pecifications (S.8)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
crew=2
capacity=
length main= 32 ft 3½ in
length alt= 9.84 m
span main= 41 ft 10¾ in
span alt= 12.77 m
height main= 10ft 10 in
height alt= 3.30 m
area main= 495.16 ft²
area alt= 46.00 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 1,984 lb
empty weight alt= 900 kg
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main= 3,031 lb
max takeoff weight alt= 1375 kg
engine (prop)=Isotta-Fraschini V.4B
type of prop=inline piston
number of props=1
power main= 180hp
power alt= 134 kW
max speed main= 89 mph
max speed alt= 144 km/h
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
range main= 435 miles
range alt= 700 km
ceiling main= 19,865 ft
ceiling alt=6000 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
more performance=
armament= one 7.7mm (0.303in) machine gun in bow cockpit, up to 265lb (120kg) of bombs.

ee also

aircontent
related=

similar aircraft=

sequence=

lists=
* List of seaplanes and flying boats
see also=

References

*cite book |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title= The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985)|year= |publisher= Orbis Publishing|location= |issn=