72 FLYPAST December 2018
SPOT FACT The contest was originated by French
businessman Jacques Schneider in 191233
by the new Fiat AS.2 in-line engine.
He was convinced the winning
design should be a monoplane
that would have a low monocoque
wing with dual floats and excellent
aerodynamic and hydrodynamic
functionality. The aircraft that
emerged from the drawing board
was the M.39, launching a series
of seaplane racers that would
culminate in the exceptional
MC.72. The M.39 benefited
from its designer’s progress in
studying fuselage aerodynamics, a
more refined engine cowling, and
the adoption of radiators in the
wings. This all combined to offer
an excellent compromise
between functionality and
aerodynamic resistance.The airframe was made from wood
and metal, and fabric covered.
The new Fiat AS.2 water-cooled
powerplant was a V12 with the
cylinders set at 60°, and capable of
producing 850hp (634kW). The
first flight of the new racer was
completed on Lake Varese, northern
Italy, on August 30, 1926, by
Macchi test pilot Romeo Sartori just
seven months after its design was
initiated. While the first aerial forays
revealed problems with the aircraft
and its engine, it quickly became
clear the M.39 had considerable
potential, especially when it
unofficially exceeded 400km/h
(248mph) during one of the
flights (the existing record stood at
448.1km/h and was held by France).Three M.39s were sent to Norfolk
for the 1926 event and assigned to
pilots Maggiore Mario de Bernardi,
and Tenentes Adriano Bacula and
Arturo Ferrarin who had successfully
completed the preliminary trials
on the type, on November 13,- Engine failure forced Ferrarin
to retire on the third lap, but de
Bernardi was declared the winner,
reaching an average speed of
396.698km/h. Bacula gained third
place with a speed of 327.899km/h.
In the following days the winning
pilot, in the same M.39, established
records over 100 and 200km
(62 and 124 miles) at averages
of 399.423 and 399.119km/h
respectively, while on November
17, 1926, he broke the world speed
record over 3km at an average
of 416.618km/h.Delusion in Venice
It was the turn of Italy to organise the
tenth competition in 1927, and the
Aeroclub d’Italia chose Venice to host
the event. The 50km course featured
turning points at Porto Lido, Porto
di Malamocco and Sottomarina, and
with departure/arrival in front of the
Grand Hotel Excelsior.
The French had been forced to
withdraw from the competition
earlier as their entry was not ready,
but the presence of the American
and British teams seemed certain.
Unfortunately, the American armed
forces decided to cancel their
involvement at the last minute- so just the British and Italian
teams would contest the trophy.
Colonnello Preste Tacchini led the
Italian entry and the pilots selected
were de Bernardi, Ferrarin and
Federico Guazzetti, with Capitano
Guasconi in reserve.
While mindful of the limited
time available after the successful
trials at Norfolk in 1926 Castoldi
decided to develop the excellent
M.39 by utilising the new Fiat AS.3
1000hp engine. This resulted in the
M.52, which retained the general
lines of its predecessor, save for a
few aerodynamics refinements and
Above
The widely read
Italian newspaper,
'La Domenica del
Corriere', celebrated
its country’s 1926
Schneider victory
with this front-cover
illustration of Mario
de Bernardi fl ying
the Macchi M.39.