FIAT
Giovanni Agnelli, founder in 1899 of Fiat, an engine and automobile manufacturing company. Umberto Savoia and Ottorino Pomilio were aeroplane designers for the Italian Direzione Tecnica dell'Aviazione Militare when they designed the SP1 in 1914-1915.
In 1908, Fiat began to produce spark-ignition aero engines. The 8-cyclinder air-cooled SAB/75 was developed for Farman aircraft. The next engine, the 6-cylinder water-cooled A10 of 1914, went into wide production. In 1914-1915, over 1,000 were installed in aircraft including Farmans, Aviatics, and Caproni trimotor bombers. In 1915, Fiat obtained a license to build the Maurice Farman 5B aircraft itself; the first was flown at Mirafiori 7 Oct 1915. Fiat produced the 5B with Fiat engines at two factories; output is said to have soon reached 30 per month. At the same time, Fiat was collaborating with Italian military designers Savoia and Pomilio in developing the SP1, a Farman-derived 2-seater pusher with Fiat A12 engine. In Dec. 1915, Savoia and Pomilio resigned from the military and in Feb. 1916 formed Costruzioni Aeronautiche Ing. O. Pomilio & C. where they completed designing the SP2, an improved version of the SP1. On 5 Jun 1916, Fiat formed subsidiary, Societa Italiana Aviazione (SIA), to produce aircraft including SPs.
Engines and aircraft built initially at Fia factory on Via Madama Cristina in Turin and later at the Locati coach factory on Via Nizza.in Turin.
Sources
- Gunston, 1993, p116, 242, 269, 277
- Gunston, 2005, p164, 369; 411, 424
- SD123, 232, 250-251; 232; 259
- Fiat; AHAH; it.wiki SIA
| Names | Fabrica Italiana di 'Automobili Torino (FIAT), Fiat |
|---|---|
| Country | Italy |
| City | Turin |
| Affiliations | |
| Keywords | |
| Started aero | 1908 |
| Ended aero | 1916 |
| Key people | Giovanni Agnelli, Umberto Savoia, Ottorino Pomilio |
| Wikidata id |
