Fiat G.55 "Centauro" and Fiat C.R.42 "Falco" to fly again... soon....

[Falco_Peregrinus]

Hello everyone,
I attach here a thread I opened up on ww2aircraft.net days ago.

There are, and have been, very few air-worthy italian ww2 warbirds after the war's end.
Scarsity of airplanes, fear of crashes, lack of funds and a general disinterest in Italy for everything that was "in the war"
has killed many projects and ideas.

Today, beautiful and excellent machines as the Macchi C.202 and C.205 and Fiat G.55, S.M.79 and others are sitting
in Museums taking tons of dust...

Until a few years ago.
An American collector bought a Fiat G.59 in Italy, which was used as a Gate-Gurdian, and decided to modify it, and make it
a Fiat G.55 "Centauro", one of the best fighters of the war, made in 1942.
Differences are minimal. The 59 had the Merlin, the 55 had the Daimler Benz DB605A. Plans are to recover a 605 and install it in a new
modified structure.
Works are being made in Germany and in Italy , at Volandia, where a new engine canopy will be built for the 605.

I really can't wait to see finally a Regia Aeronautica fighter take the air again at Air Shows. Hopefully with Regia Aeronautica markings
instead of the ANR one.
It would truly be a revolution in this aspect. To see once again one of those great fighters flying again would be a dream come true.

I only wish it was a Macchi C.202 (not a great G.55 lover...), but it's still a great news.

More to read HERE.


Up until now, the only flying Regia Aeronautica fighter was a Macchi C.205 "Veltro", which used to fly with its original DB605 in the 80's.
It was modified by the AerMacchi factory back then, but a small incident hapened while taxiing and the company decided to ground it, unfortunately.
This was it. It's still stored inside the AerMacchi factory.

 

 

 

 

And...it looks like we'll also see another RA fighter in the skies, the Falco, thanks to the "Fighter Collection" in the UK.

I'm just amazed by the fact that somehow they found a running Fiat A.74RC38 engine...

 

 

Edited March 14, 2014 by Ioshic

[VO101_MMaister]

I was about to say: NICE! But then I saw that it'll be equipped with a Merlin engine which for me spoils it all  A pitty that there are so few DBs around to make a genuine G55 ...

 

It will be equipped with a DB engine. They revert it to G.55 specs.

Will be cool. But I am more excited about the Falco. That will be a sweet biplane!

[79_vRAF_Friendly_flyer]

Very nice, these Italian planes are beautiful little fighters!

[Bladderburst]

202 I think.

 

The french bloch had its engine slightly turned.