Ansaldo SVA

what is it?

The Ansaldo SVA (named for Savoia-Verduzio-Ansaldo) was a family of Italian reconnaissance biplane aircraft of World War I and the decade after. Originally conceived as a fighter, the SVA was found inadequate for that role. Its impressive speed, range and operational ceiling, with its top speed making it one of the fastest of all Allied combat aircraft of the war, gave it the right properties to be an excellent reconnaissance aircraft and even light bomber.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 9.1 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 230 km/htop speed
• range 690 kmwithout refuelling
• size 1,050 kgmax take-off weight
• built 2,000made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 109 years ago, in 1917.
• 🏎️Top speed is 1.8× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 9.1 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1917-03-19

introduced

1918

number built

2,000

role

reconnaissance aircraft

makers

Ansaldo

engines

1× SPA 6A

crew

1

length

8.1 m

wingspan

9.1 m

height

2.7 m

max take-off weight

1,050 kg

top speed

230 km/h

range

690 km

ceiling

6,000 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.