Quiz #114

[seawings]

Here we go with Quiz #114 from Louis aka Seamaster.

Let's see if he has caught us out again! What is this flying boat:



Ok, as usual - Over to YOU!

[Kenny]

Watching from the sidelines, glass in hand, waiting for my further education...

[WhyMe]

It's Italian PRB.1

[Kenny]

Wow... now that's an obscurity... anybody have any links to a decent history of this "group" or was this beastie a "one-off" (other than the one that was built) ...?

[Kenny]

I'm up for a challenge...
Italian translation - could be loaded with errors, mind you... picture links work...

"My grandfather, Carlo Marchiori, an engineer, had fought, voluntary, as a captain of the army during the early stages of the Great War. Was a victim of the gas used by the Austrians and thus, fortunately survived, he was sent home. Volle, however, continue to give its contribution to the country and so he was sent to direct the establishment of Bastianelli Monterotondo (Rome), who built the Caproni C3. was so that my family moved from Veneto (Lendinara) in Rome. at the end of the conflict, lacking military orders , the plant was left without work and therefore my grandfather tried to convert from military to civilian production.

There was talk, in those years, the crossing of the Atlantic and the premiums for his grandfather then commissioned the Directorate Experimental Air Force in 1919, a study on the crossing of the Atlantic in flight (short send a copy of this document) . The results indicate that both the prizes for the commercial interest of many countries had prepared large multi-engine aircraft for this purpose (list of those registered for the trip of 1920 with the characteristics of the aircraft is in the report cited above). Lindberg remember that he succeeded only seven years later, with a single-engine light aircraft and, unlike the more they tried but just as intuition by the editors of the study ...

Aircraft similar to the PRB 1 is discussed again however many years later, with the creation of large seaplanes "China Clipper" Americans and the like.

In 1920, however, was designed by Pegna, at the specific request of my grandfather, a seaplane biplane, biplanes also tail, four engines, called by the names of PRB 1 Pegna, Rossi and Bastianelli, designer, tester and owner of the company manufacturer. Of such aircraft seems lost memory: the only reference I found (and I'm not surprised, given that General Mitchell, founder delll'US Air Force, showed great interest and visited the factory to test the air) in a U.S. site: (link no longer valid)

This seaplane was successfully tested in Ostia, Anzio and Lake Bracciano. Many other foreign delegations (French, Belgian, etc.). Visited and tried the plane, but, unfortunately, did not follow orders and the factory went bankrupt. "

i'm waiting for my, "I was googling Amazon whilst drinking my Starbucks latte" tee-shirt for Christmas... Google has some very useful tools...

[Kenny]

Luckily, most of my regular (hobby) work is in English...