Flying through airplanes

Propellers
20th century

When it rotates, a propeller acts like a screw that penetrates through air or water. Aircraft propellers are fitted with anywhere from 2 to 6 blades, arranged symmetrically for balance. Fixed pitch wooden propellers were used in the past. Because today's aircraft are faster, variable pitch propellers are now used. These allow the angle between each blade and the boss to be adjusted in flight to ensure that operating conditions are as close to optimal as possible. The blades of modern propellers are made of aluminum alloy, steel or reinforced plastic and can be fitted with ice protection devices.

Blériot XI – replica
1909

The French Blériot XI was the quintessential monoplane of the pioneer era. It became famous for its 1909 crossing of the English Channel, for which it used an Italian 25 HP Anzani engine, for its sporting achievements, and for its sturdiness, practicality and easy handling, making it extremely popular. It was aboard this plane that Captain Piazza carried out the world’s first acts of aerial warfare during the 1911-1912 Libyan campaign. In 1912, the Blériot XI was among the models selected for the reorganized Italian Air Force. In the following year, the Turin-based company SIT delivered 33 of the license-built two-seater version, with more following in 1915. Upon entering the war, the Italian Air Force had 6 squadrons equipped with the Blériot monoplane. The aircraft supported various types of engine, the most common of which was the 50 HP Gnome rotary engine.

Nieuport-Macchi Ni.10
1915

Initially conceived as a two-seater reconnaissance or trainer aircraft, the Nieuport 10 was subsequently adapted for the war effort. In fact, it became the first fighter used during the Great War by the French, Russian, English, Belgian and Italian armies. Converting the plane into a fighter involved getting rid of the observer's seat and installing a fixed machine gun on the upper wing. The gun was operated by the pilot by pulling a Bowden cable which hung down inside the cockpit. This biplane was produced in large quantities under license, including 240 models in Italy by Nieuport-Macchi. For a time, the model now owned by the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology had the civilian serial number I-BORA and was used for flight tests by the company Piero Magni Aviation.

Breda 15
1929

Designed by the engineer Cesare Pallavicino, this aircraft was one of the best-known and most successful touring planes. It took part in an Air Force competition for the construction of a training and touring plane, where it was ranked second behind the famous "Caproni 10" biplane. The Breda 15 prototype was equipped with an 85 HP Walter Venus engine with which it successfully completed a series of test flights in Bresso (MI) in 1929, while the Colombo S53 engine was developed for the mass-produced version. The Breda 15 was made from a mixture of materials: its fuselage was made of wood lined with plywood, while the front section used steel lattices to support both the engine and the controls. The seats were in tandem and the cabin was fitted with a large window.

Magni PM 3-4 Vale
1937

This tourer and trainer monoplane can still be considered one of the most original creations of its era in terms of both its features and its flawless construction. The plane was designed and built by a pioneer of Italian aviation named Piero Magni. Magni, who had been a World War I pilot, obtained the first patent for a monoplane with load-bearing struts and aerodynamic brakes in 1919. These features went on to become widely used. In 1924, he built the PM1 Vittoria and the PM2 Vittoria in his workshop in Meda. The standout feature of these planes was the "minimum penetration hood", which later became widely known as the "NACA cowling". In 1931, he built Italy's first armored aircraft together with Dr. Ettore Cattaneo. In 1934, Piero Magni built the PM 3-1 Vale at his new Taliedo factory. This was followed in 1937 by the PM 3-4 Vale, which he himself eventually donated to the Museum.

Macchi C.205 V/
1943

The Macchi C.205 Veltro proved to be the most important and renowned Italian fighter of the Second World War. Holding its own magnificently against its Allied counterparts, it proved equal to its task and confirmed Mario Castoldi's technical talent as one of the world's top aircraft designers. Castoldi was able to draw on his experience of designing a record-breaking series of racing seaplanes which won the Schneider Trophy.
Pilots from the fighter and interceptor divisions could now count on a number of competitive aircraft. However, these were delivered to the squadrons too late, with their situation already irreparably compromised. The first consignments were delivered to the 1st Wing three months before the British and Americans landed in Sicily, by which point the islands of Pantelleria and Lampedusa had already surrendered a month previously.

SAI Ambrosini Super S.7
1951

Designed by the engineer Sergio Stefanutti, this trainer aircraft was developed from the S.7, which had been used by the Italian Air Force for first-stage military training since 1944. This single-engined, low-wing cantilever monoplane built entirely from wood differed from the S.7 in its more powerful 340 HP Gipsy Queen engine. The model on display here with an I-PAIN serial number is the first of two prototypes (the other is in Vigna di Valle). It was ranked first in the Daily Express Air Force held in August 1952 in Brighton (UK), piloted by Guidantonio Ferrari. The Italian pilot also set the world airspeed record for this category with the same aircraft on December 3, 1952 in Rome, clocking in at 419.482 kilometers per hour. The British called this airplane "the most beautiful in the world".

Ricci R-6 – replica
1918

This small triplane took to the skies for the first time in Bagnoli in 1918. Simple and robust, it was unveiled to the public at the 1920 Paris Air Show. During an event in the same year commemorating the anniversary of the Allied victory in World War I, it took off from the Pincian Hill in Rome, dropping flyers across the city. A second R-6 with a 6-cylinder Anzani engine was built by the Naples-based firm Bacini e Scali. Having completed its military testing, the R-6 was delivered to the Air Force with the serial number MM167. The model on display here was rebuilt by the Museum in 1967. The replica incorporates original pieces from the first model, which had been acquired from Anzani in the meantime.

Cierva C.30 Autogyro
1934

An autogyro differs from a helicopter in that its rotor is not connected to the engine. The rotor is set in motion by the air flow during the takeoff run and continues to spin freely. Unlike a helicopter, it does not have a tail rotor. Instead, it has a tailplane (like an airplane). Autogyros cannot take off vertically and therefore require a runway. The radial engine and the rotor perform the same functions as they would in an airplane. This Cierva C.30 was the best-known and most common pre-WWII autogyro. The British firm Avro, which already had financial and industrial links to de la Cierva, began producing it in 1934. This series developed from the 1931 C.19 model and is fitted with a more powerful engine: the 140 HP Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major IA.