Piaggio P.50

what is it?

The Piaggio P.50 was an Italian prototype heavy bomber designed and built by Piaggio for the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force).

🔎How to recognise it: 4 piston engines with propellers · 25.8 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 434 km/htop speed
• size 20 tmax take-off weight
• built 50made 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 89 years ago, in 1937.
• 🏎️Top speed is 3.3× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 25.8 m: about 6 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 3 African elephants (~6 t each).

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

spec sheet

first flight

1937

number built

50

role

heavy bomber

origin

🇮🇹 Italy

makers

Piaggio Aerospace

engines

4× Isotta-Fraschini Asso XI.RC

length

19.8 m

wingspan

25.8 m

height

4.8 m

max take-off weight

20 t

top speed

434 km/h

range

—

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