Pegna-Bonmartini Rondine

Piaggio · Italy · first flew 1923 · light aircraft

The Pegna-Bonmartini Rondine, or Pegna Rondine, was a single-seat ultralight sport aeroplane designed by Giovanni Pegna and built by Piaggio in Italy in 1923.

Recognition (WEFT)

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

• Mid-wing cantilever monoplane with thick, low-aspect-ratio wings and no external bracing
• Fuselage built like a boat, clinker or carvel planked
• Tiny 8 hp ABC engine with reduction gear

A small wooden mid-wing monoplane with a three-piece windscreen, an open cockpit set at mid-chord and an all-flying tailplane.

Specifications

• The Pegna-Bonmartini Rondine has a length of 6 m (20 ft).
• It has a wingspan of 10 m (33 ft).
• Its maximum speed is 70 km/h (43 mph).
• Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Pegna designed it to use the small, low-powered, light engines available at the time, probably inspired by the Lympne ultra-light trials. Several engines gave poor results before a 404 cc ABC 8 hp with a 3:1 reduction gear proved satisfactory. It was first flown by Renato Donati on 8 July 1923.

Variants

Only one was built. When Piaggio took over the workshop it was designated the Piaggio P.1.

Where you'll see it

It made a number of demonstration flights during 1923 and was highly manoeuvrable, even flying as a glider. It was abandoned because of the limited power of its engine and the small market for such a light aeroplane.

Related aircraft

• Piaggio P.2
• Piaggio P.3
• Piaggio P.10
• Piaggio P.16
• Akaflieg Berlin B3 Charlotte II
• Akaflieg Darmstadt D-7 Margarete
• Akaflieg Darmstadt D-9 Konsul
• Albatros L 59

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