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Macchi M.7

1918 WORLD WAR 1

Macchi M. 7 Stories

It established itself as a respected manufacturer of airships during World War I (1914-1918) before Italy focused on Macchi developing a stable front-line fighter for the Italian Air Force of World War II , 1915 reconnaissance platform from Macchi L. One hundred examples of this aircraft were produced. The L. 2 platform and the L. 3/M followed. 1916 No.

3. This work laid the foundation for two of his most famous airships of the war, the M.5 and M.7 (the M.6 had only reached the prototype stage).

The M. 7 appeared in 1918, based on the previous M. 5 model, but with modified fuselage elements. The dimensions of the aircraft include a length of 8 meters, a wingspan of 10 meters and a height of 3 meters. Its crew is integrated with the cockpit, sitting in a boat-like hull. The biplane wing assemblies are erected above the fuselage, the lower aircraft is attached to the fuselage, and the upper wing sections are supported by a network of strong, thick struts. Buoys have been added under the lower wing to prevent tipping in rough seas or during takeoff/landing.

The single engine is mounted below the upper wing element and above/slightly aft of the pilot's position. tail or tail. It is conventional, with only one rudder and a mid-mounted tail. The design of the aircraft fell on Alessandro Tonini's shoulders.

The engine of choice became a 260 hp Isotta Fraschini V6 inline-piston. The engine drives a two-bladed propeller, which is arranged as a "propeller" at the rear of the engine mount.

The placement of the engines left most of the fuselage open to fuel, etc., while removing the major visibility barriers present in other aircraft designs of the era. Plus, its high position helps clear spray. Performance includes a top speed of 125 mph and a service ceiling of up to 23,000 feet.

The battery life is up to three hours, which gives the plane a decent range on the water.

Weapons were largely traditional at the time, with a pair of 7.7mm Vickers machine guns mounted on the nose of the aircraft firing forward and mounted on the nose. The M.7 actually functions as an airship fighter, combining altitude, range, and viable weapons to fulfill this role.

About 100 aircraft were eventually built by Macchi, with the main operator becoming Italian Naval Air Services. However, his involvement in World War I was very limited, with fewer than twenty men at the armistice in November 1918.

In the postwar period, it was considered appropriate to sell some of the inventory to military customers such as Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Sweden, where the aircraft continued to operate for some time.

Macchi engineers revised the design to produce the M. 7bis emblem, a variant modified specifically for air racing and featuring a shorter, lighter wing. The design was an improvement that won the 1921 Schneider Trophy. In 1923, the M. 7 appeared in a different modified form than the M. 7ter. The model underwent a major redesign, including a new tail, revised wing panels, and revised fuselage sections.

This model was at one point adopted by the Italian Navy, and a sub-model of the M.7ter with folding wings was also seen.

After discontinuing use as a military aircraft, the line was a player in the civilian market until the late 1930s. By the time of World War II, it was far from a memory and contained all modern developments between the two world wars.