Piaggio Aircraft Photo Albums

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of three photo albums produced by Piaggio & Co. circa 1943. The first album, "Piaggio Aircraft Projects, 1st Series," covers a period from circa 1934 to 1938, and includes photographs of the Piaggio P.16 bomber, the long-distance transport prototypes Piaggio P.23M and P.23R (also known as the P.123), the prototype Piaggio P.32-I bomber, and the Piaggio P.50-I and P.50-II bombers. The second album, "Velivoli Costruti In Serie Dalla Piaggio Su Progetti Di Altre Ditte" [Aircraft produced in Series by Piaggio of Other Companies' Designs], covering a period from circa 1934 to 1943, presents photographs of aircraft built by Piaggio from designs by two other Italian companies (Nardi and Cant) which were too small to produce the number of aircraft ordered by the Italian government. Fratelli Nardi models include the Nardi FN.305 and the Nardi FN.315 (an improved version of the FN.305). Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico (CRDA, commonly called Cant) models designed by Filippo Zappata include the Cant (CRDA) Z.501, and the Cant (CRDA) Z.506A (civil version), Z.506B (military version), and Z.506S (air-sea rescue version). The third album, "Piaggio Aircraft Projects, 2nd Series," dated October 22, 1945, and includes photographs of the four-engine Piaggio P.108B, P.108C, and P.108T aircraft; the Piaggio P.111 high-altitude research aircraft; and the prototype Piaggio P.119 fighter.

Arrangement

The three photo albums are presented in original order.

In 1979, all photographs were copied in the original order and assigned Smithsonian Institution (SI) negative numbers (SI 79-7688 through SI 79-7788).

In 1990, all items in this collection were reproduced on the first side (Side A) of National Air and Space Museum Archival Videodisc 7, a LaserDisc CAV format 12-inch (30 cm) optical disc published by the Smithsonian Institution. Print numbers applied during videodisc production (keeping to the original order) are used as item-level image numbers (print numbers NASM 7A36888 to NASM 7A36990, videodisc frame capture numbers VD-7A36888 to VD-7A36990).

Biographical / Historical

Founded in Genoa, Italy, in 1884, Rinaldo Piaggio SpA manufactured interiors for ocean liners, later branching out into the construction of rolling stock for railroads at the beginning of the twentieth century, and moving their works to a large factory space at Finalmarina (later Finale Ligure), Italy. During the first World War, Piaggio expanded his company to include aircraft design and manufacturing (Industrie Aeronautiche e Meccaniche Rinaldo Piaggio SpA) and rebranded as Piaggio & Co. By the end of the 1920s, Piaggio had brought on more aircraft designers, and established an aeronautical research laboratory at the Finale Ligure works, the Cantieri Aeronautici Piaggio di Finale Ligure Marina. In the Italian Fascist period of the mid 1930s and early 1940s leading up to World War II, Piaggio worked on a number of designs for the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) including several prototype aircraft. Piaggio's facilities were heavily bombed during the war, but the company was able to recover and rebuild in the post-war period (having a notable commercial success with their Vespa motor scooter), and continued to produce aircraft into the twenty-first century.