"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
01/24/2014 at 08:34 • Filed to: Planelopnik
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"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
01/24/2014 at 08:34 • Filed to: Planelopnik | 4
| 13 |
As I mentioned in reply to the AOTD yesterday about racing, there's a few different air races that are no more. One of these is the Schneider Trophy, a race for seaplanes.
These races ran in the 20's and early 30's and featured some of the fastest airplanes of all time. Seriously, the speed record for an internal combustion seaplane was set by one of these racers, and the record still stands today. That speed was a whopping 440.681 miles per hour, and was actually the speed record for all airplanes for 5 years.
So, what does it take to go 440 mph in a seaplane? A sexy, slippery Italian aircraft powered by a Fiat V24 engine
I present to you the Macchi-Castoldi MC.72 - The World's Fastest Seaplane
Of course, being that this flew in 1933/1934, there are very few pictures of it in action. It was a truly gorgeous plane though, just look at it:
I'm sure you'd like to know more about the engine. The Fiat AS. 6 was a liquid cooled engine with 24 cylinders arranged in a V. With a total displacement of 50.25L, it provided 3100 horsepower to a pair of contra rotating props.
The MC.72 was designed to take on the Supermarine S.6B which had dominated the final 4 years of the Schneider Trophy (well, it and it's predecessors)
Unfortunately it had technical issues that kept it out of competing and the race was cancelled, but Mussolini was so interested in seeing it fly that he provided state funds to finish it. Sure enough, in 1934 it set the record it still holds today.
You can see the record setting MC-72 at the Italian Air Force Museum
briannutter1
> Jayhawk Jake
01/24/2014 at 08:52 |
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It's been said that world war II was the peak of internal combustion engine development. The guys that designed these engines and the multibank radials were very talented. Chemists, Physicists, Mathematicians, and others found themselves assigned to make more power.
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Jayhawk Jake
> briannutter1
01/24/2014 at 08:58 |
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I think that's probably true, especially since post WWII aviation engine development focused on jet propulsion.
MonkeePuzzle
> Jayhawk Jake
01/24/2014 at 09:13 |
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bright red sea plane, I will always think of Porco Rosso.
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briannutter1
> Jayhawk Jake
01/24/2014 at 09:14 |
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yeah, we're using the same materials as we were then. Electronics have augmented injection, but not an amazing amount. Today's engineers have modeling...which would have certainly reduced the lead time to design a R-4360 Wasp engine..but that initial inspiration was something else.
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Jayhawk Jake
> briannutter1
01/24/2014 at 09:19 |
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In internal combustion engines we may be still using the same materials, but jet's have been using newer materials over the years. Ceramic blades and all that jazz.
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briannutter1
> Jayhawk Jake
01/24/2014 at 09:20 |
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Unfortunately we don't have jets in cars yet.
Kugelblitz
> MonkeePuzzle
01/24/2014 at 09:34 |
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MonkeePuzzle
> Kugelblitz
01/24/2014 at 09:51 |
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yeah, his american competitors black plane was far more in line with the one above, just, red and seaplane, you know :P
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Kugelblitz
> MonkeePuzzle
01/24/2014 at 13:49 |
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Truly a good movie, I have not seen the last one yet, which is about the designer of the Mitsubushi Zero. Seriously.
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MonkeePuzzle
> Kugelblitz
01/24/2014 at 13:51 |
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Wind Rises, not yet available in english is my understanding. I hear it's painful to watch (think Grave of the Fireflies), but truly excellent. I'm greatly looking forward to seeing it.
Axial
> Jayhawk Jake
01/24/2014 at 13:57 |
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That V24 actually was two V12s strapped together though...
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Kugelblitz
> MonkeePuzzle
01/24/2014 at 14:09 |
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GotF is one mil less sad than "When the Wind Blows" which means it is still a wrist-slitter to watch. That said, if Ghibli put out a paint drying video I would watch it, if only for the paint sprites.
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MonkeePuzzle
> Kugelblitz
01/24/2014 at 15:01 |
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