Fiat G.212

Fiat G.212

Company type	Aircraft model
Industry	Aviation
Founded	1947
Founder	Fiat
Products	Tri-motor airliner, military transport aircraft

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The Fiat G.212 was an Italian tri-motor airliner developed during the 1940s. It represented an enlarged adaptation of Fiat's earlier G.12 transport aircraft and saw limited deployment both in commercial aviation and with the Italian Air Force.

Development and design

The initial prototype, designated the G.212CA for military transport, completed its maiden flight on 19 January 1947. Although it retained a similar layout to the G.12—a low-wing, all-metal cantilever monoplane featuring retractable tailwheel landing gear—the G.212 was extended in length, equipped with a larger wing area, and incorporated a broader fuselage. Propulsion was provided by three Alfa Romeo 128 radial engines, each delivering 642 kW (860 hp).

Subsequently, two civil variants were introduced: the G.212CP configured as an airliner accommodating 34 passengers, and the G.212TP designed as a freighter. Both models were powered by the more robust Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engines.

Operational history

The G.212CP entered commercial service in 1947 with Avio Linee Italiane ("Italian Airlines"), which procured six units, deploying them on European routes. On 1 July 1948, aircraft I-ELSA crashed near Keerbergen airfield during a flight from Milan to Brussels, resulting in eight fatalities; one surviving crew member later perished in another accident involving an ALI Douglas C47 at Milan airport six months afterward. On 4 May 1949, a chartered G.212 operated by Avio Linee Italiane carrying the Torino football team—the famed Grande Torino—crashed into a hill near Superga, close to Turin, leading to the deaths of all 31 passengers and crew aboard, including all 18 players.

Additional G.212 units were acquired by Egypt's SAIDE airline, which received three aircraft in 1948, as well as by the French carrier Cie Air Transport. Four of Avio Linee Italiane’s planes were sold to Ali Flotte Riunite, one of which was subsequently transferred to Kuwait’s Arabian Desert Airlines.

Besides the prototype G.212CA, the Italian Air Force obtained six G.212CPs; two of these were converted into flying classrooms for training purposes under the designation G.212AV (Aula Volante). One example is preserved at the Italian Air Force Museum located in Vigna di Valle near Rome.

Variants

File:FIAT G212.jpg

Fiat G.212 displayed at the Italian Air Force Museum

G.212CA

Initial prototype model of the G.212 series.

G.212CP

The first batch of civil passenger aircraft produced.

G.212TP

Designed for cargo transport in both civilian and military roles.

G.212AV

(Aula Volante) Navigation instruction planes; six G.212CP units converted into airborne classrooms for the Italian Air Force.

Civil

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• SAIDE - Services Aériens Internationaux d'Egypte

Template:FRA

• Compagnie Air Transport

Template:ITA

• Ali Flotte Riunite
• Avio Linee Italiane

Template:KWT

• Arabian Desert Airlines

Military

Template:ITA

• Italian Air Force operated a fleet of 11 Fiat G.212 aircraft between 1949 and 1952

Specifications (G.212CP)

File:Fiat G212 3-view silhouette.jpg

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Donald, David, editor. The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Aerospace Publishing, 1997. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.
• Stroud, John. "Post War Propliners: Fiat G.12 and G.212." Aeroplane Monthly, Vol. 23, No. 1, January 1994, pp. 64–68. London: IPC.

External links

• FIAT G.212
• Fiat G.212 at Airliners.net
• Fiat G.212 (Italian language)