Savoia-Marchetti S.55X

Savoia-Marchetti · Italy · first flew 1933 · transport aircraft

The Savoia-Marchetti S.55X is an Italian twin-hull flying boat whose extraordinary configuration — two torpedo-shaped hulls, a parasol wing, and a tandem engine nacelle — made it iconic for long-distance formation flights of the early 1930s.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, straight
E — Engines	2 × piston, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	16.49 m fuselage
T — Tail	Twin fin

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Spot it by:

twin-hull catamaran flying boat with parasol wing
tandem tractor-pusher engine nacelle above the wing centre-section
biplane tail booms connecting hulls to twin tail fins

Unmistakable in any view due to the twin hulls, high parasol wing, and the single over-wing nacelle housing two engines in tandem; no other flying boat of the era shared this layout.

Specifications

The Savoia-Marchetti S.55X has a length of 16.49 m (54 ft).
It has a wingspan of 24.01 m (79 ft).
Its maximum speed is 279 km/h (173 mph).
Typical crew: 5.

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

History

The S.55 first flew in 1924 and the refined S.55X variant powered Italo Balbo's mass transatlantic formation flights of 1930 and 1933, the latter involving 24 aircraft flying from Italy to the Chicago World's Fair. These missions were major propaganda triumphs for Fascist Italy.

Variants

The baseline S.55 preceded the S.55X with Isotta Fraschini Asso engines; the X variant used Fiat A.24R engines producing improved power and range for the transatlantic crossings.

Where you'll see it

The Regia Aeronautica and several civil operators used S.55 variants for patrol and passenger service in the Mediterranean; the type was retired by the late 1930s as monoplane flying boats superseded it.

Related aircraft

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