SIAI S.8
SIAI · Italy · first flew 1917 · reconnaissance aircraft
The SIAI S.8 was an Italian two-seat reconnaissance flying boat of the 1910s.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 9.84 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Equal-span biplane flying boat
- Two-seat hull with a bow cockpit
- Fixed-pitch two-bladed pusher propeller
It was a two-seat, equal-span biplane flying boat. Armament was one 7.7 mm machine gun in the bow cockpit.
Specifications
- The SIAI S.8 has a length of 9.84 m (32 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 12.77 m (42 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 144 km/h (89 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was the first design by Raffaele Conflenti, chief designer of Societa Idrovolanti Alta Italia, and first flew in 1917. The Royal Italian Navy ordered 800 to be built by SIAI and subcontractors.
Variants
Early aircraft had an Isotta Fraschini V4B engine; later aircraft had the more powerful 220 hp Hispano-Suiza 44.
Where you'll see it
With the end of the war production stopped after 172 had been delivered. The S.8 equipped five squadrons of the Regia Marina, and by 1920 only 63 survived, mostly in storage.
Related aircraft
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