List of Forlanini airships
This is a complete list of Forlanini airships designed and built by the Italian pioneer Enrico Forlanini from 1900 to 1931 (posthumously).[1] These, like the German Groß-Basenach semi-rigid airships, were the first to have the gondola attached to the envelope, to reduce air resistance.[2]
F.1 Leonardo da Vinci
Designed: 1900-1901[3]
Maiden flight: 2 July 1909
Flights: 38, total distance 850 km.
Longest duration: 90 minutes
Length: 40 metres
Volume: 3,265 cubic metres
Propulsion: One Antoinette engine of 40 HP
Maximum speed: 52 km/h
Construction started in 1900 collaboration with Cesare del Fabbro. Its first flight in 1909 was one year after the first Italian semi-rigid flight by Gaetano Arturo Crocco. Like all the Forlanini airships, except the Omnia Dir, the empennage comprised groups of multiple planes at the poop and at the tail.[2]
F.2 Città di Milano
Maiden flight: 17 August 1913[2][4]
Flights: 43[2]
Length: 72 metres[1]
Volume: 12,000 cubic metres[2]
Gas cells: 12[2]
Propulsion: Two Isotta Fraschini engines of 80 HP each[1]
Maximum speed: 70 km/h[1]
Flight ceiling: 2400 metres[2]
Useful payload: 5 tonne[2]
Owner: Royal Italian Army (Regio Esercito)
Fate: 9 April 1914 emergency landing during storm, then damaged by trees and terrain while moored. While attempting to deflate gas cells, caught fire and destroyed.[1]
F.2's gondola was divided in three compartments: the command cabin, passenger cabin, and machine room. For safety all the material was treated with a fire suppressant and the envelope was double-skinned.[2]
F.3 Città di Milano II
Propulsion: Four FIAT S.54-A engines of 80 HP each[5]
Flight endurance: 24 hours[2]
Fate: built for the British government but due to World War I requisitioned by the Italian Army in 1918[3][5]
F.4
Built: 1915[5][6]
Owner: Marina Italiana
Built: 1917[3]
Volume: 17,783 cubic metres[5][7]
Length: 300 feet (91 m)[3]
Maximum width: 66 feet (20 m)[3]
Propulsion: Two FIAT S.76-A engines of 350 HP each[5]
Flight ceiling: 20,000 feet (6,100 m)[3]
Payload: 22,000 pounds (10,000 kg)[8]
Crew: 5: commander, two officers, two mechanics[3]
Owner: Royal Italian Army
Fate: military operations, decommissioned 6 February 1918
Propulsion: Four Isotta Fraschini IV-B engines of 180 HP each
Fate: one single military mission before the armistice
Omnia Dir
Propulsion: One Isotta Fraschini of 150 HP
Note: Used two groups of five jets of compressed air for maneuvering, one at each end
Enrico Forlanini
Airships of Italy
Italian military aircraft 1910-1919
Lapini, Gian Luca
editors of Italian wikipedia
New York Times has 1912.#Tim
Ligugnana, Sandro
New York Times wrote F-4 appeared in 1916.#Tim
New York Times claimed 700,000 cubic feet (20,000 m3).#Tim
New York Times wrote payload reduces to 13,000 pounds (5,900 kg) at 7,000 feet (2,100 m) and 8,000 pounds (3,600 kg) at 13,000 feet (4,000 m).#Tim
aerostati.it. Cronologia aerostatica (Italian) last accessed 2008-06-30
Lapini, Gian Luca. 2004. Storia di Milano ::: Enrico Forlanini (Italian) last accessed 2008-06-30
Sandro Ligugnana - Alessandro Ligugnana History - Officine Leonardo da Vinci. Last accessed 2009-09-09
The New York Times Magazine. 13 January 1918 Page SM3. New Italian Airship Better Than Zeppelin, last accessed 2008-06-30 (full article)
editors of Italian wikipedia article Forlanini (dirigibili) - Wikipedia