Savoia-Marchetti S.66

S.66
Role	Flying boat airliner then search and rescue
National origin	Italy
Manufacturer	Savoia-Marchetti
First flight	1931
Introduction	1932
Retired	1939 (civil use)[1] 1943 (military)
Primary users	Ala Littoria[2] Regia Aeronautica
Number built	24
Developed from	Savoia-Marchetti S.55

The Savoia-Marchetti S.66 was a 1930s Italian twin-hull flying boat designed and built by Savoia-Marchetti as an enlarged development of the S.55.

Development

Rear quarter view of Ala Littoria's Savoia-Marchetti S.66 with registration marking I-REDI.

The S.66 was developed as an enlarged version of the S.55 with the aim of replacing the S.55P. The S.66 was a twin-hull cantilever monoplane flying boat with metal hull and wings and wooden twin-booms and tail unit. The two crew had enclosed cockpit mounted in the wing centre section between the two hulls, each hull contained seven seats, two sleeping couches and a lavatory. The prototype first flew in 1931 powered by three Fiat A.22R engines strut-mounted above the wing. The company built 23 production aircraft with three 559 kW (750 hp) Fiat A.24R engines and the sleeping couches were replaced by two to four more seats in each hull.

Operators

Pre-World War II

 Kingdom of Italy

• Ala Littoria
• Società Aerea Mediterranea

World War II

 Kingdom of Italy

• Regia Aeronautica operated S.66s for search and rescue

Specifications (S.66)

Data from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft^[3] and Ali italiane^[4][5]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Capacity: 18/22 passengers (nine to eleven in each hull)
• Length: 16.63 m (54 ft 7 in)
• Wingspan: 33 m (108 ft 3 in)
• Height: 4.90 m (16 ft 1 in)
• Wing area: 126.70 m² (1,363.8 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 7,450 kg (16,424 lb)
• Gross weight: 10,950 kg (24,141 lb)
• Powerplant: 3 × Fiat A.24R V12 engines, 559 kW (750 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 264 km/h (164 mph; 143 kn)
• Cruising speed: 235 km/h (146 mph; 127 kn)
• Range: 1,200 km (746 mi; 648 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 5,000 m (16,404 ft)

See also

• List of seaplanes and flying boats

Notes

1. Pafi1978, p.478.
2. Pafi1978, p.525.
3. Orbis 1985, p.2894.
4. Pafi1978, p.542.
5. Pafi1978, p.1246.

References

• Taylor, Michael J. H., ed. (1989) [1980]. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation.  contributors, Bill Gunston ... [et al.] . New York: Portland House : Distributed by Crown . ISBN 0-517-69186-8.
• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985) . London: Orbis Publishing. 1985.
• Pafi, Benedetto; Apostolo, Giorgio, eds. (1978). Ali italiane [Italian wings] (in Italian). Volume 2:1923-1938. Milano, Italy: Compagnia Generale Editoriale - Rizzoli distribuzione.