Piaggio P.23R
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1884 |
| Headquarters | Pontedera , Italy |
| Products | Aircraft, motorcycles |
| Website | www |
The Piaggio P.23R, occasionally referred to as the Piaggio P.123 for promotional reasons, was an Italian commercial cargo transport prototype engineered and produced by Piaggio.
Design and development
Conceived to establish new speed benchmarks for commercial transport airplanes, the P.23R featured a low-wing cantilever monoplane configuration supported by three engines. It incorporated twin vertical stabilizers with rudders. The powerplant consisted of three 671-kilowatt (900-horsepower) Isotta Fraschini Asso ("Ace") XI R V-12 engines, each housed within streamlined, aerodynamically refined cowlings and driving three-bladed propellers. The fuselage exhibited a slender, pencil-like shape. Two crew members were accommodated side-by-side in separate open cockpits, each shielded by individual windscreens.
Subsequently, the P.23R underwent an engine upgrade to three 746-kilowatt (1,001-horsepower) Piaggio P.XI RC.40 radial engines and received modifications to its landing gear system. Both cockpits were enclosed under canopies to enhance crew protection.
Operational history
The maiden flight of the P.23R occurred in 1936. On December 30, 1938, the aircraft set new world speed records while transporting a payload of 5,000 kilograms (11,023 pounds), achieving an average velocity of 404 kilometers per hour (250.8 miles per hour) over distances of both 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) and 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi).
Development efforts for the P.23R ceased in 1939. Nevertheless, during World War II, Allied aircraft recognition manuals mistakenly classified it as a potential Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) bomber.
Variants
Despite its designation suggesting a connection to the Piaggio P.23 commercial transport prototype from 1935, the P.23R was actually a completely distinct aircraft design.
Operators
Specifications (P.23R - Piaggio engines)
Notes
References
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External links
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- Piaggio aircraft
- 1930s Italian airliners
- 1930s Italian cargo aircraft
- Trimotors
- Low-wing aircraft
- Aircraft first flown in 1936