All Articles Tagged 'S.A.M.' (121)

The Piaggio P.108 was the only four-engine heavy bomber used by the Regia Aeronautica during World War II.

In 1938 the Regia Aeronautica issued a request for proposal for a BGR (Bombardiere a Grande Raggio, long-range bomber); proposals came from Caproni with their Ca.204 and Ca.211 projects, CRDA with…

This is the last chapter of the Early Lockheed's Saga.

The Lockheed Model 9 Orion was the last of Lockheed's single engine transports, seated six passengers and was powered by a 420hp P&W Wasp engine. The Orion cruised at 180-195 mph and is claimed to be the first transport capable of 200 mph. The Orion was also the first commercial…

Given its origin, the Blenheim could be called "fast and spurious". The aircraft was initially envisaged as a luxury transport and wasn't a part of any military programme.

The often told story of the six-seat executive aircraft built for Lord Rothermere, proprietor of the aviation-supporting Daily Mail, usually misses the vital point. Why did…

When we say 'weird' we mean it. Definitely.

With the issue of a specification for a successor to the Potez 631 twin-engined fighter in service with the Armee del'Air, P-E Mercier and Jacques Lecarme of the Societe Nationale de Constructions Aeronautiques de Sud-Est (SNCASE) tendered the design of a highly innovative aircraft, the SE 100…

The oddest and most unconventional contender - probably for any aerial competition - was the Piaggio-Pegna PC.7.

The floatplane (or should we call it a 'foilplane'?) was built for the 1929 Schneider Trophy contest. A cantilever high-wing monoplane with long slender fuselage, it had twin hydrofoils instead of floats and was intended to float with…

Overshadowed by more famous and spectacular German aircraft, the Siebel Si 204 boasted a distinctive Dieselpunk appearance and played at least four different roles.

Used in substantial numbers by the Luftwaffe as a light communications aircraft and crew trainer, the Siebel Si 204 was essentially a scaled-up …

A glorious pair of Lockheed monoplanes is ready to deliver your Saturday Air Mail.

Both were a development of Northrop-designed Lockheed Vega. Developed originally to meet a requirement of Charles Lindbergh for a low-wing monoplane of high…

An outstanding mid-30s flying machine which became obsolete by the start of WWII

The two ANT-40 light bomber prototypes of Andrei N. Tupolev's design bureau, designed and developed by a team led by A. A. Arkhangelski, were years ahead of their time when they first flew in October 1934: the all-metal construction, enclosed cockpit and retractable…

Meet alternate history fans' darling - an unorthodox Dutch warplane built too late to fight.

The Fokker D XXIII (or D.23) single-seat fighter was unusual in employing a fore-and-aft tandem engine arrangement, Slender booms carried the tailplane. The prototype powered by two 528hp Walter Sagitta I-SR engines made its first…

This Sarurday, your air mail is brought to you by the most gorgeous trimotor ever built.

It is often said that aviation is the passion of a lifetime that slowly conquers the depth of one's soul*. This statement could never be truer when it comes to the life of René Couzinet, the Father of the "Arc-en-Ciel" (The Rainbow), the three-engine…

Your Saturday Air Mail is here, with a score of forgotten aeroplanes from Bristol.

I decided to re-publish here an article by Alan Webb titled Parnall - Bristol's Other Plane-maker. There's no better source of info on Parnall designs.

The Parnall story is…

This is a Canadian Vickers-designed and built Velos:

The year 1912 marked the official beginning of Vickers in Canada and plans for shops, drawing offices, and the company's distinctive enclosed building berths were developed. 1913 was spent in site construction and by 1914 Vickers…

Wake up! Your Saturday Air Mail is here, brought by a sleek, stunningly beautiful monoplane.

Allan Lockheed and Jack Northrop teamed up together in 1927 and formed the Lockheed Aircraft Company.  It was a great combination and their Vega became the aircraft of the Golden Age for setting records.  Names like…

Meet one of the most stylish flying boats ever built: the Gabbiano!

The CANT Z.501 Gabbiano (gull) light reconnaissance flying-boat was serving in fairly large numbers with the Regia Aeronautica when Italy entered World War II in June 1940. Designed by Filippo Zappata in the early…

It took a unique trimotor to deliver your Saturday Air Mail.

The Pander S.4 - known also as Postjager and Panderjager- was a very stylized Dutch trimotor designed by Theo Slot that first flew in 1933. It was built by the furniture company Pander & Zonen as a high speed mail plane, intended for…

The Saturday Air Mail presents: another French biplane family.

The Lioré-et-Olivier Type 20 and its derivatives are probably less famous than the Farman F.22, but no less important - and their looks are even more…

This Saturday, the Air Mail is delivered to your doorstep by a small, elegant, and well-forgotten British aeroplane.

Meet the Spartan Cruiser!

This wooden-framed, low-wing tri-motor was originally designed in collaboration by Saro and Percival as the A-24 Mailplane in 1931. The consortium lost interest in the venture as…

It's Saturday, and your Air Mail is here again, delivered by a state-of-art flying Leviathan.

The following article was published on Boeing official website:

The Boeing Model 307 Stratoliner was the world's first high-altitude commercial transport and the first four-engine airliner in scheduled domestic service. With names like…

This Saturday, your air mail is brought to you by a flying boat called "Wal" (Whale) and designed by no other than Claudius Dornier.

The Do J was a fairly modern (compared to World War I types) flying boat with a high-mounted strut-braced monoplane wing. Two piston engines were mounted in tandem in a nacelle above the wing and…

If you're going to design a very unusual aircraft for your Dieselpunk setting, read this entry.

Maybe your dreamplane has been already designed and flown eighty years ago. Or probably you'll see something well beyond the borders of your imagination. So give your inventive spirit a little rest and let me introduce you to the designs of Boris Ivanovich…