Il Duces Record Breaking Ride, Macchi M.C.72
By: Norm Goyer
In 1934 this aircraft broke all existing speed records with a sizzling 440 miles per hour flight. The overall record stood for years but the seaplane category still stands in 2010.
I have always loved seaplanes of any type and any size. I have had a seaplane rating since 1947 and have owned many float planes and flying boats, I love flying off water. Every chance I get I haul out my one quarter size Super Cub RC electric powered float plane for a day of fun on the water. Sometimes it turns into fun in the water, but a few hours in the sun and all is forgiven. Other aviation favorites are the 1930 Thompson and Bendix Trophy races. I grew up very close to the Springfield, Massachusetts, airport where the Gee Bees were built and, thanks to an indulging father, saw them all fly. I even met James Doolittle when he was checking out his winning ride in 1932. His good luck logo on the cowl was a pair of dice and the numbers 7 & 11. Now that happens to be my birthday as well. For many years every giant scale aircraft I fly has this logo on the cowl. Jimmy Doolittle also won the Schneider Cub Trophy for seaplanes in the late 1920s flying an Army Air Force Curtiss biplane racer on floats. But the hero of this International racing event never proved itself until the races were over. This magnificent Italian aircraft was years ahead of anything every flown before. It was the Macchi M.C.72 designed by Castoldi and build by Macchi Aeronautica. The Schneider events came to a halt in 1932 when a Supermarine S-6 (the start of the Spitfire series) on floats won the event and retired the trophy. Everyone knew that luck was with the English that year when the Macchi M.C.72 had engine trouble and could not compete.
The M.C.72 was built by Macchi and designed by Castoldi. This three-view shows its conventional design.
Italians are very proud of their racing heritage, cars, boats, Sophia Loren and aircraft. Mussolini poured state funds into the M.C.72 project with the orders, “break the speed record or I breaka your legs”, which is how the Mafia probably got started. The aircraft that Macchi and Castoldi came up with was the record smashing M.C.72. The aircraft had standard lines but was loaded with engineering firsts, plus a 24 cylinder Fiat engine with contra rotating props. The power plant was basically two 12 cylinder Fiat engines installed in tandem, each swinging a huge prop in opposite directions. Thus the enormous torque was cancelled out. A huge supercharger unit was added to stuff the cylinders with high octane fuel. The design of the Macchi M.C. 72 was unique with a fuselage consisting mostly of metal to the cockpit and wood monocoque bolted to the front tubular portion by four bolts. (probably not from a local hardware store) The streamlined nose contours enclosed an oil tank with its outside wall exposed to the airstream. The wing was all metal with flat tubular water radiators smoothly faired into the wings. The twin pontoons had three smoothly-faired radiators on the outer surfaces, the forward radiator for water and the center and rear radiators for oil cooling. The float struts also featured water radiators and another radiator was fitted during hot conditions under the fuselage running from cockpit to tail. [It was built in 1931 with the idea of competing for what turned out to be the final Schneider Trophy race, but due to engine problems, the plane was unable to compete.
The secret to the outstanding performance was the 24 cylinder Fiat engine swinging contra rotating props
Various problems continued through two years of testing which included several fatal crashes. Finally the problems were solved and after 35 test flights, the engines were overhauled in preparation for a record attempt. The aircraft finally lived up to expectations when it set a new world speed record (over water) on April 10, 1933, with a speed of 424 mph. It was piloted by Warrant Officer Francesco Agello (the last qualified test pilot). Not satisfied, development continued as the aircraft’s designers thought they could break 430 mph with the M.C. 72. This feat was in fact achieved on 23 October 1934, when Agello piloted the plane for an average speed of 440 mph over three passes. This record remains as of 2010 the fastest speed ever attained by a piston-engine seaplane. After this success, the M.C.72 was never flown again.
The huge engine was essentially two 12 cylinder Fiat engines, in tandem, each swinging a very high pitch prop in opposite directions.
Specifications:
- Crew: 1 pilot
- Length: 27 ft 3.5 in
- Wingspan: 31 ft 1.25 in
- Height: 10.83 ft
- Wing area: 151.46 ft²
- Empty weight: 5,512 lb
- Loaded weight: 6,409 lb
- Max takeoff weight: 6,669 lb
- Power plant: Fiat AS.6 Liquid-cooled V24 engine, 2,850 hp
Performance
- Maximum speed: 440.681 mph, world speed record