| Macchi M.C.94 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Commercial flying boat |
| Manufacturer | Macchi |
| Designer | Mario Castoldi (1888–1968) |
| First flight | 1935 [1] |
| Introduction | 1936 |
| Primary users | Ala Littoria (Italy) Corporación Sudamericana de Servicios Aéreos (Argentina) |
| Number built | 12 |
The Macchi M.C.94 was a 1930s Italian commercial flying boat built by Macchi.
The M.C.94 was designed by Mario Castoldi (1888–1968) as a commercial passenger transport flying boat to replace the Ala Littoria airline's elderly CANT 10s. Constructed mainly of wood, it was a high-wing cantilever monoplane with a two-step hull and single fin and rudder. The prototype, which was an amphibian with a retractable wheeled undercarriage which swung forward into streamlined casings in the leading edges of the wings, was powered by two 574 kilowatts (770 hp) Wright SGR-1820-F Cyclone nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engines mounted above the wing, each driving a tractor propeller. It was followed by 11 production aircraft, which were all pure flying boats. From the seventh aircraft, 570 kilowatts (760 hp) Alfa Romeo 126 RC 10 radial engines were fitted. The three-man crew was accommodated in a raised and enclosed cockpit and a main cabin could accommodate 12 passengers.
Ala Littoria purchased the prototype and first five production aircraft in 1936. The Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) declined purchase of the final six production aircraft, which Ala Littoria then also bought.
The M.C.94 entered service with Ala Littoria in 1936 on Adriatic routes, and a number were still in service during World War II. In 1939, Ala Italia sold three of its M.C.94s to its Argentinian partner, Corporación Sudamericana de Servicios Aéreos.
The prototype set a number of international world records for flying boats in 1937, including a new altitude record of 6,432 metres (21,102 ft) carrying a payload of 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb), a speed record of 248.967 kilometres per hour (154.701 mph) over a 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) closed circuit, and a speed record of 257.138 kilometres per hour (159.778 mph) carrying a 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb) payload over a 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) closed circuit.[2]
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Data from World Encyclopedia of Civil Aircraft [3]
General characteristics
Performance
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