Pomilio Gamma

The Pomilio Gamma was an Italian fighter prototype of 1918.

Pomilio Gamma
The first Gamma prototype
Role	Fighter
National origin	Italy
Manufacturer	Pomilio
First flight	1918
Primary user	Italy
Number built	2

Design and development

Gamma

The Pomilio company of Turin designed and manufactured the Gamma, a wooden, single-seat, single-bay biplane with wings of unequal span, the upper wing being of greater span than the lower. It was powered by a 149-kilowatt (200-horsepower) SPA 6A water-cooled engine driving a two-bladed tractor propeller. It had fixed, tailskid landing gear.^[1]

The Gamma prototype first flew early in 1918. An Italian official commission observed a demonstration of it, and concluded that although it was fast and had good maneuverability, its rate of climb was insufficient to merit a production order.^[2]

Gamma IF

Pomilio addressed the Gamma's shortcomings by developing a second prototype, the Gamma IF, equipped with a more powerful Isotta Fraschini V.6 engine rated at 186 kilowatts (250 horsepower). An official commission saw a demonstration of the Gamma IF in 1918 but initially could not agree on whether it warranted a production order. During the final weeks of World War I, the commission finally decided to order a small number of Gamma IF fighters; however, the aircraft never entered active service.^[3]

Variants

Gamma

First prototype with SPA 6A engine

Gamma IF

Second prototype with Isotta Fraschini engine

Operators

Kingdom of Italy

• Corpo Aeronautico Militare

Specifications (Gamma IF)

Data from Green, William, and Gordon Swanborough The Complete Book of Fighters: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Every Fighter Aircraft Built and Flown, New York: SMITHMARK Publishers, 1994, ISBN 0-8317-3939-8

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 6.30 m (20 ft 8 in)
• Wingspan: 7.99 m (26 ft 2.5 in)
• Wing area: 21.90 m² (235.74 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 680 kg (1,499 lb)
• Gross weight: 950 kg (2,094 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Isotta Fraschini V.6 piston engine , 186 kW (250 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 225 km/h (140 mph, 120 kn)
• Endurance: 3 hours

Notes:

• Time to 3,000 m (9,842 ft): 7 min 30 sec