Pomilio Gamma | |
---|---|
The first Gamma prototype | |
Role | Fighter |
National origin | Italy |
Manufacturer | Pomilio |
First flight | 1918 |
Primary user | Italy |
Number built | 2 |
The Pomilio Gamma was an Italian fighter prototype of 1918.
The Pomilio company of Turin designed and manufactured the Gamma, a wooden, single-seat, single-bay biplane with wings of unequal span, the upper wing being of greater span than the lower. It was powered by a 149- kilowatt (200- horsepower) SPA 6A water-cooled engine driving a two-bladed tractor propeller. It had fixed, tailskid landing gear. [1]
The Gamma prototype first flew early in 1918. An Italian official commission observed a demonstration of it, and concluded that although it was fast and had good maneuverability, its rate of climb was insufficient to merit a production order. [2]
Pomilio responded to the Gamma's shortcomings by building a second prototype, the Gamma IF, fitted with a more powerful Isotta Fraschini V.6 engine rated at 186 kilowatts (250 horsepower). An official commission saw a demonstration of the Gamma IF in 1918, but at first could not agree on whether it merited a production order. During the final weeks of World War I, the commission finally decided to order a small number of Gamma IF fighters, although the Gamma IF never entered active service. [3]
Data from Green, William, and Gordon Swanborough The Complete Book of Fighters: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Every Fighter Aircraft Built and Flown, New York: SMITHMARK Publishers, 1994, ISBN 0-8317-3939-8
General characteristics
Performance
Notes: