Breda Ba.33

Breedaba. 33 History

Cesare Pallavicino, an Italian designer from Breda, created the Ba. 33 aircraft, which was lightweight and designed for racing. It was a two-seat plane with a single engine and was first used in 1930, known as the "Ba.33 Series 1." It gained fame for its performance during the Giro Aereo d'Italia 1931. However, in 1932, the design faced difficulties, including a fatal crash caused by a wing failure, which damaged its reputation.

The aircraft had a traditional design, featuring a streamlined round fuselage with engines mounted on the front. Behind the engine compartment were two open-air tandem cockpits, and the fuselage tapered towards the tail. The tail had a vertical stabilizer and a tail wheel.

The tail wheel was supported by main legs positioned under the wings, towards the front of the aircraft. The main components of the plane were positioned amidships, using stiffening struts and high voltage cables for support. The wings had a length of 22.2 feet, and the overall wingspan was 30.9 feet. The aircraft weighed 946 pounds without any payload, and its maximum weight capacity was 1,826 pounds.

The original engine used was a British de Havilland "Gypsy III" 120 hp, 4-cylinder, in-line, air-cooled piston engine. It powered a twin-blade propeller located at the nose of the aircraft. With this setup, the Ba. 33 could achieve a top speed of 143 mph and cover a range of 1,120 miles.

The aircraft's service ceiling, the maximum altitude it could reach, was 22,960 feet, and it had a climb rate of 874 feet per minute.

Apart from the Series 1 aircraft equipped with the de Havilland Gipsy III engine, there were also Ba. 33 Series 2 models. These included one version with a Gypsy engine and another with a modified 130 hp Colombo S. 63 engine. The last plane, Ba. 33S, had a more modern enclosed cockpit and only one seat. It used the S. 63 140 hp engine from the second entry of the Series 2.

Specification

Basics

Years of Service: 1930

Origins: The Kingdom of Italy

Status: Retirement

Crew: 2

Production: 4

Manufacturer: Breda - Kingdom of Italy

Operators: Kingdom of Italy; Empire of Japan

Roles

X-Plane (development, prototype, tech demo)

Aircraft designed for prototyping, technology demonstration, or research/data collection.

Notable Features

Strong Aircraft Frame

The inherent ability of the airframe to take significant damage.

High-speed performance

Can accelerate to higher speeds than the average aircraft at the time.

High performance

The ability to fly and operate at higher altitudes than the average aircraft of the day.

Extended range performance

Ability to travel long distances using on-board fuel supplies.

Super performance

The design covers the three key performance categories of speed, altitude and range.

Rating Process

A manual process to allow the pilot and/or crew to exit in the event of an onboard emergency.

Dimensions and Weight

Length: 22.2 feet (6.78m)

Width/span: 30.8 feet (9.40m)

Cured weight: 948 lbs (430kg)

MTOW: 1,830 lbs (830kg)

Wgt Difference: +882 lbs (+400 kg)

MAINPLANE STRUCTURE

Monoplane

Designed to use a single main wing main aircraft; this is the most popular arrangement of main aircraft.

Install low

The main aircraft is mounted low on the side of the fuselage.

Straight

Floor plans involve the use of simple, straight main plan elements.

Performance

Installed: 1 x de Havilland Gipsy III 120 hp 4-cylinder in-line air-cooled engine driving a twin-blade propeller unit on the nose.

Maximum speed: 143 km/h (230 km/h | 124 knots)

Maximum: 22,966 feet (7,000 m | 4 mi)

Range: 1,118 mi (1,800 km | 3,334 nm)

Rate-of-Climb: 874 ft/min (266 m/min)

VARIANTS

Ba. 33 - Base Series

Ba. 33 Serie 1 - Initial twin-seat model with de Havilland Gipsy III engine of 120 horsepower.

Ba. 33 Serie 2 - Twin-seat model with original Gipsy III engine and second airframe with Colombo S. 63 engine fitting of 140hp.

Ba.33S - Single-seat model with enclosed cockpit and S. 63 engine of 140hp.