Adamoli-Cattani fighter

The so-called Adamoli-Cattani fighter was a prototype fighter aircraft designed as a private venture by two Italian aircraft builders in 1918. They intended to build the smallest practical biplane around the most powerful engine available to them, a 149 kW (200 hp) Le Rhône. The result was a reasonably conventional design, other than the fact that the wings featured hinged leading edges in place of conventional ailerons. The building of the prototype was begun at the Farina Coach Building factory in Turin and transferred to the Officine Moncenisio in Condove for completion.

Upon completion, ground testing revealed that the engine as installed could only deliver some 80% of its rated power, thus leaving the aircraft significantly underpowered. Limited tests continued until the end of World War I, when the Armistice made further development superfluous.

Specifications (Adamoli-Cattani fighter)

General characteristics

• Crew: one, pilot
• Length: 6.10 m (20 ft)
• Wingspan: 8.6 m (28 ft 2 in)
• Height: m ( ft in)
• Wing area: m² (ft²)
• Empty: 470 kg (1,036 lb)
• Loaded: 675 kg (1,488 kg)
• Maximum takeoff: kg ( lb)
• Powerplant: 1x Le Rhône, 149 kW (200 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 300 km/h (186 mph)
• Endurance: 2.5 hours
• Range: 750 km (469 miles)
• Service ceiling: m ( ft)
• Rate of climb: m/min ( ft/min)
• Wing loading: kg/m² ( lb/ft²)
• Power/Mass: 0.22 kW/kg (0.13 hp/lb)

Armament

• 2x .303-in (7.7-mm) machine guns

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Comparable aircraft: Nieuport-Delage NiD-29