During a stay in Rome, I spent a few hours at the Historical Museum of the Italian Air Force, located at Vigna di Valle near Bracciano, on the site of a former hydroplane base on the Bracciano lake. Great collection with unique aircraft, such as the oldest military airplane in the world, a Blériot XI used in 1911 during the Libyan war, the oldest SPAD VII preserved in the world, the Italian bombers Caproni Ca.3, Cant Z506 and SM.79 Sparviero, the magnificent floatplane racers built for the Schneider Trophy in the late 1920s and early 1930s, including the MC-72, the fastest float plane ever flown... a must! I could go there by train, it takes about one hour and a half from central Rome to reach the museum; entrance is free of charge, a restaurant is available and the staff is very friendly.
Details here:
http://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/museo_storico_eng/Pagine/default.aspxLet us start this picture tour by the Blériot XI operated in the Libyan skies in 1911:
Two SPAD VII flown by Italian aces during World War One:
The huge Ca.3 bomber:
The Ansaldo SVA.5 who flew a mission over Vienna:
The rare Austrian bomber Lohner L-127:
The Macchi M-39, winner of the 1926 Schneider Cup at Norfolk:
Look at the copper fins on the wings if the Fiat C.29, as part of her engine cooling system:
Macchi M.67:
MC.72:
Look at the contra-rotating propellers on the MC 72; she has actually 2 engines mounted in line, for a total of nearly 3,000 hp... and 709 Kms/h, still a world record today.
Fiat CR-32:
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Topic: From Rome to Eternity... (Read 4555 times)
