Breda Ba.44
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| Ba.44 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Airliner |
| Manufacturer | Società Italiana Ernesto Breda |
| Maiden flight | 1934 |
| Primary user | Ala Littoria |
| Number built | 6 |
The Breda Ba.44 was a biplane airliner developed in Italy in the mid-1930s and which saw limited military service when impressed into the Regia Aeronautica as transports.
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[edit] Design and development
The design of the Ba.44 was developed from that of the de Havilland Dragon Rapide, for which Breda had purchased a manufacturing licence. Breda engineers believed that making some changes would better suit the aircraft to the company's manufacturing techniques, the biggest differences in the prototype Ba.44 being the design of the cockpit and empennage, and the change to locally-produced Colombo S.63 engines. In production, however, these were changed back to the same de Havilland Gipsy Six engines as the Dragon Rapide.
[edit] Operational history
Four examples were purchased by Ala Littoria, which utilized it on its Albanian routes, while the prototype was sold to the Regia Aeronautica, which deployed it as a VIP transport and air ambulance in Libya. The pleasing performance of the aircraft in this role led to the air force impressing the civil Ba.44s in 1936, and the government of Paraguay purchasing one as an air ambulance as well. Besides North Africa, the Ba.44s saw service in the Italian campaigns in Albania, Greece, and Yugoslavia.
[edit] Operators
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- Ala Littoria received 4 aircraft, all were took over by military aviation.
- Regia Aeronautica received prototype and took over four civilian aircraft in 1936.
- Government of Paragyau bought one aircraft in air ambulance variant.
[edit] Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: One pilot
- Capacity: 9 passengers
- Length: 10.50 m (34 ft 5 in)
- Wingspan: 14.65 m (48 ft 1 in)
- Height: 3.20 m (10 ft 6 in)
- Wing area: 31.2 m² (336 ft²)
- Empty weight: 1,520 kg (3,350 lb)
- Gross weight: 2,820 kg (6,220 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × de Havilland Gipsy Six inverted inlines, 138 kW (185 hp) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 248 km/h (155 mph)
- Range: 860 km (536 miles)
- Service ceiling: 5,800 m (19,020 ft)
[edit] References
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 195.
- Уголок неба
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
Related development de Havilland Dragon Rapide
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