Pomilio PE

Fabbrica Aeroplani Ing. O. Pomilio

Industry	Aircraft manufacturing
Founded	1917
Headquarters	Italy
Products	Military reconnaissance aircraft (Pomilio PC, PD, PE)

The Pomilio PE was an Italian armed reconnaissance biplane from the First World War, designed and produced by the Pomilio brothers at Fabbrica Aeroplani Ing. O. Pomilio. This model evolved from their earlier designs, the Pomilio PC and PD.

Development

The initial armed reconnaissance aircraft by the Pomilio brothers was the Pomilio PC, introduced in 1917. This conventional biplane featured a mixed-material construction and fixed tailskid landing gear. It accommodated two crew members in tandem open cockpits and was powered by a front-mounted 260 hp (194 kW) Fiat A.12 engine. Entering service in 1917, the PC exhibited significant instability issues, prompting the development of an improved variant, the Pomilio PD. Approximately 70 units of the PC were produced for the Italian Air Force. The PD incorporated several enhancements, including the addition of a tail fin and a ventral fin to improve stability. Its design also exposed cylinder heads and positioned a radiator ahead of the upper wing. The PD's maiden flight took place in June 1917, with a total of 431 units built, among which 93 were dual-control trainers to address its challenging flight characteristics.

Subsequently, the Pomilio PE was introduced as a further refinement, equipped with an upgraded version of the Fiat A.12bis engine. This model featured a fully enclosed engine cowling and a vertical radiator mounted at the front, altering its exterior profile. Later versions replaced the original triangular tail fin with a larger trapezoidal one. Production commenced in October 1917, resulting in 984 units manufactured, including 103 trainer aircraft. Throughout its production cycle, modifications were implemented such as fitting synchronized forward-firing machine guns on later examples alongside the observer’s Lewis machine gun.

Variants

Pomilio PC

First production model

Pomilio PD

Updated production version featuring a redesigned tail section and ventral fin, with a total of 575 PC and PD units manufactured.

Pomilio PE

Enhanced production model equipped with a more powerful engine fully enclosed in a cowling, with 984 units produced.

Operators

Kingdom of Italy

• Corpo Aeronautico Militare
• Regia Aeronautica

Bibliography

• Taylor, Michael J. H., Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation, Studio Editions, London, 1989
• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985), Orbis Publishing, p. 2759
• Alegi, Gregory, Pomilio PD/PE, Albatros Productions, Berkhamsted, 2006, Windsock Datafile Vol. 117, ISBN 1-902207-83-1