Piaggio P.8

Piaggio
Industry	Aerospace
Headquarters	Italy
Products	Aircraft

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The Piaggio P.8 was a reconnaissance floatplane developed and constructed in Italy by Piaggio specifically for the Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy).

Design and development

The P.8 was created by Piaggio in response to a Regia Marina specification for a compact reconnaissance seaplane capable of deployment from the submarine Ettore Fieramosca. The aircraft needed to be designed for disassembly and storage within a watertight, cylindrical hangar installed on the submarine. To reduce risks to both the submarine and the aircraft during launch and recovery—operations that required the Ettore Fieramosca to remain surfaced while the plane was assembled or taken apart—the design emphasized rapid assembly and disassembly.

Making its maiden flight in 1928, the P.8 featured a single-seat parasol monoplane configuration with twin floats attached beneath the fuselage. Powered by a 56-kilowatt (75-horsepower) Blackburn Cirrus II engine driving a two-blade propeller, it could reach a maximum speed of 135 kilometers per hour (84 miles per hour).

Operational history

The P.8 was one of several small seaplanes evaluated for deployment aboard the submarine Ettore Fieramosca, which entered service in 1930. Ultimately, none of these aircraft were installed on the submarine, and its hangar was dismantled in 1931.

Operators

Template:Country data Kingdom of Italy

Regia Marina

Specifications

Template:Aero specs missing Template:Aircraft specs

Notes

References

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External links

AR - Aircraft Manuals Blueprints Video Publications: Piaggio P.8

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