List of Forlanini airships explained

This is a complete list of Forlanini airships designed and built by the Italian pioneer Enrico Forlanini from 1900 to 1931 (posthumously).^[1] These, like the German Groß-Basenach semi-rigid airships, were the first to have the gondola attached to the envelope, to reduce air resistance.

F.1 Leonardo da Vinci

• Designed: 1900-1901^[2]
• Maiden flight: 2 July 1909
• Flights: 38, total distance 850 km.
• Longest duration: 90 minutes
• Length: 40 metres
• Volume: 3,265 cubic metres
• Propulsion: One Antoinette engine of 40 HP
• Maximum speed: 52 km/h

Construction started in 1900 collaboration with Cesare del Fabbro. Its first flight in 1909 was one year after the first Italian semi-rigid flight by Gaetano Arturo Crocco. Like all the Forlanini airships, except the Omnia Dir, the empennage comprised groups of multiple planes at the poop and at the tail.^[3]

F.2 Città di Milano

• Maiden flight: 17 August 1913^{[3] [4]}
• Flights: 43^[3]
• Length: 72 metres^[1]
• Volume: 12,000 cubic metres^[3]
• Gas cells: 12^[3]
• Propulsion: Two Isotta Fraschini engines of 80 HP each^[1]
• Maximum speed: 70 km/h^[1]
• Flight ceiling: 2400 metres^[3]
• Useful payload: 5 tonne^[3]
• Owner: Royal Italian Army (Regio Esercito)
• Fate: 9 April 1914 emergency landing during storm, then damaged by trees and terrain while moored. While attempting to deflate gas cells, caught fire and destroyed.^[1]

F.2's gondola was divided in three compartments: the command cabin, passenger cabin, and machine room. For safety all the material was treated with a fire suppressant and the envelope was double-skinned.^[3]

F.3 Città di Milano II

• Volume: 13,790 cubic metres^[5]
• Propulsion: Four FIAT S.54-A engines of 80 HP each^[5]
• Maximum speed: 80 km/h^[3]
• Flight endurance: 24 hours^[3]
• Useful payload: 6 tonne^[3]
• Fate: built for the British government but due to World War I requisitioned by the Italian Army in 1918^{[2] [5]}

F.4

• Volume: 15,000 cubic metres^[5]
• Built: 1915^{[5] [6]}
• Owner: Marina Italiana

F.5

• Built: 1917^[2]
• Volume: 17,783 cubic metres^{[5] [7]}
• Length: 300feet^[2]
• Maximum width: 66feet^[2]
• Propulsion: Two FIAT S.76-A engines of 350 HP each^[5]
• Flight ceiling: 20000feet^[2]
• Gas cells: 12^[2]
• Payload: 22000lb^[8]
• Crew: 5: commander, two officers, two mechanics^[2]
• Owner: Royal Italian Army
• Fate: military operations, decommissioned 6 February 1918

F.6

• Built: 1918
• Volume: 15,000 cubic metres^[5]
• Propulsion: Four Isotta Fraschini IV-B engines of 180 HP each
• Owner: Royal Italian Army (Regio Esercito)
• Fate: one single military mission before the armistice

Omnia Dir

• Built: 1931
• Volume: 4,000 cubic metres
• Propulsion: One Isotta Fraschini of 150 HP
• Note: Used two groups of five jets of compressed air for maneuvering, one at each end

See also

• Enrico Forlanini
• Airships of Italy
• Italian military aircraft 1910-1919

References

• aerostati.it. Cronologia aerostatica (Italian) last accessed 2008-06-30
• Lapini, Gian Luca. 2004. Storia di Milano ::: Enrico Forlanini (Italian) last accessed 2008-06-30
• Sandro Ligugnana - Alessandro Ligugnana History - Officine Leonardo da Vinci. Last accessed 2009-09-09
• The New York Times Magazine. 13 January 1918 Page SM3. New Italian Airship Better Than Zeppelin, last accessed 2008-06-30 (full article)
• editors of Italian wikipedia article Forlanini (dirigibili) - Wikipedia

Notes and References

1. [#Lap|Lapini, Gian Luca]
2. [#Tim|New York Times]
3. [List of Forlanini airships#wikiit|editors of Italian wikipedia]
4. New York Times has 1912.
   1. Tim
5. [#Lig|Ligugnana, Sandro]
6. New York Times wrote F-4 appeared in 1916.
   1. Tim
7. New York Times claimed 700000cuft.
   1. Tim
8. New York Times wrote payload reduces to 13000lb at 7000feet and 8000lb at 13000feet.
   1. Tim