Piaggio P.6

Piaggio P.6
Role	Catapult-launched reconnaissance floatplane
Manufacturer	Piaggio
First flight	1927
Primary user	Regia Marina
Number built	15 (P.6ter)

The Piaggio P.6 was an Italian catapult-launched reconnaissance floatplane designed and built by Piaggio for the Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy).

Development

To meet a Regia Marina requirement for a two-seat catapult-launched seaplane, Piaggio produced two designs. The first, designated the P.6bis, was a small biplane flying boat powered by a 190 kW (260 hp) Isotta Fraschini V.6 engine driving a pusher propeller. The second design designated, the P.6, was a floatplane with one large central float and two stabilising floats at the wingtips and a nose-mounted A.20 engine.

Both aircraft had the same biplane wing structure with rigid strut bracing and both were armed with a single machine gun (the flying-boat's in the bow and the floatplane's in the rear cockpit). In 1928, the P.6ter was produced based on the P.6 floatplane with the engine boosted to 306 kW (410 hp). A production run of 15 P-6ter aircraft was produced for the Italian Navy where it had an unremarkable career, being used on battleships and cruisers.

Variants

P.6bis: Prototype flying boat.
P.6: Prototype floatplane.
P.6ter: Production floatplane, 15 built.

Operators

Kingdom of Italy

Regia Marina

Specifications (P.6ter)

General characteristics

Crew: two
Wingspan: 13.50 m (44 ft 3.5 in)
Gross weight: 2,360 kg (5,203 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Fiat A.20 , 306 kW (410 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 195 km/h (121 mph, 105 kn)

Armament

1 × machine gun

References

Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing. p. 2700.