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Pomilio Gamma

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pomilio Gamma
The first Gamma prototype
Role Fighter
National origin Italy
Manufacturer Pomilio
First flight 1918
Primary user Italy
Number built 2

The Pomilio Gamma was an Italian fighter prototype of 1918.

Design and development

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Gamma

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The Pomilio company of Turin designed and manufactured the Gamma, a wooden, single-seat, single-bay biplane with wings of unequal span, the upper wing being of greater span than the lower. It was powered by a 149-kilowatt (200-horsepower) SPA 6A water-cooled engine driving a two-bladed tractor propeller. It had fixed, tailskid landing gear.[1]

The Gamma prototype first flew early in 1918. An Italian official commission observed a demonstration of it, and concluded that although it was fast and had good maneuverability, its rate of climb was insufficient to merit a production order.[2]

Gamma IF

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Pomilio responded to the Gamma's shortcomings by building a second prototype, the Gamma IF, fitted with a more powerful Isotta Fraschini V.6 engine rated at 186 kilowatts (250 horsepower). An official commission saw a demonstration of the Gamma IF in 1918, but at first could not agree on whether it merited a production order. During the final weeks of World War I, the commission finally decided to order a small number of Gamma IF fighters, although the Gamma IF never entered active service.[3]

Variants

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Gamma
First prototype with SPA 6A engine
Gamma IF
Second prototype with Isotta Fraschini engine

Operators

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 Kingdom of Italy

Specifications (Gamma IF)

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Data from Green, William, and Gordon Swanborough The Complete Book of Fighters: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Every Fighter Aircraft Built and Flown, New York: SMITHMARK Publishers, 1994, ISBN 0-8317-3939-8

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 6.30 m (20 ft 8 in)
  • Wingspan: 7.99 m (26 ft 2.5 in)
  • Wing area: 21.90 m2 (235.74 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 680 kg (1,499 lb)
  • Gross weight: 950 kg (2,094 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Isotta Fraschini V.6 piston engine , 186 kW (250 hp)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 225 km/h (140 mph, 120 kn)
  • Endurance: 3 hours

Notes:

  • Time to 3,000 m (9,842 ft): 7 min 30 sec


Notes

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  1. ^ Green and Swanborough, pp. 478-479.
  2. ^ Green and Swanborough, pp. 478.
  3. ^ Green and Swanborough, pp. 478.

References

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  • Green, William, and Gordon Swanborough. The Complete Book of Fighters: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Every Fighter Aircraft Built and Flown. New York: SMITHMARK Publishers, 1994. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8.