Piaggio P.8

The Piaggio P.8 was an Italian reconnaissance floatplane designed and built by Piaggio for the Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy).

Piaggio P.8
Role Reconnaissance floatplane
National origin Italy
Manufacturer Piaggio
First flight 1928
Primary user Regia Marina

Design and development

Piaggio designed the P.8 to meet a Regia Marina requirement for a small reconnaissance seaplane that could operate from the large submarine Ettore Fieramosca. The aircraft had to be designed so that it could be stowed disassembled in a watertight, cylindrical hangar aboard the submarine. In order to minimize danger to the submarine and the aircraft during flight operations—which required Ettore Fieramosca to loiter on the surface while the aircraft was being assembled or disassembled—the aircraft was designed to be assembled quickly for flight operations and disassembled quickly after recovery for stowage in its hangar.

The P.8, which first flew in 1928, was a single-seat monoplane with twin floats mounted beneath its fuselage and a parasol wing. Its 56-kilowatt (75-horsepower) Blackburn Cirrus II engine drove a two-bladed propeller and gave it a top speed of 135 kilometers per hour (84 miles per hour).

Operational history

The P.8 was among various small seaplanes considered for use aboard Ettore Fieramosca, which was commissioned in 1930. None of the aircraft were deployed aboard the submarine, and Ettore Fieramosca's hangar was removed in 1931.


Operators
 Kingdom of Italy

Specifications

General characteristics

  • Crew: one
  • Powerplant: 1 × Blackburn Cirrus II , 56 kW (75 hp)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 135 km/h (84 mph, 73 kn)

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

  • List of seaplanes and flying boats

Notes

    References
    • Passingham, Malcolm (February 2000). "Les hydravions embarqués sur sous-marins" [Submarine-carried Seaplanes]. Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (83): 7–17. ISSN 1243-8650.
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