Savoia-Marchetti S.55
| Savoia-Marchetti S.55 | |
|---|---|
| An S.55P of Aeroflot circa 1933 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Flying boat |
| Manufacturer | Savoia-Marchetti |
| Designer | |
| Primary users | Società Idrovolanti Alto Italia (Savoia) |
| Number built | 243+ |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1926 |
| First flight | August 1924 |
| Retired | 1943 |
The Savoia-Marchetti S.55 is a twin-engine twin-hull monoplane flying boat designed and produced by the Italian aircraft manufacturer Savoia-Marchetti. It filled both commercial and military roles.
The S.55 first flew in August 1924 and S.55s were soon setting records for speed, payload, altitude and range, and they made a number of successful high profile Atlantic crossings, including the first mass formation crossings. Many saw service with the Regia Aeronautica and foreign operators including the Spanish Air Force as bombers and maritime patrol aircraft, while numerous airlines including Aeroflot also operated the type. Although some were still nominally in service at the start of the Second World War, they played no role due to their age and the last examples were struck off charge by 1943 in Italy and Romania.