Looking for MC-72 info.

[JetsareforKids]

I'm looking for info. on the MC-72 Italian raceplane. Anyone have any info. or links about it?
Thanks

[FENCELINER]

Re: Looking for MC-72 info.

Google "MC-72 Italian race plane"
Over 3 million pages

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Looking for MC-72 info.

WIKI has been good to me for these kind of info searches;

LINK: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macchi_M.C.72

.....The last surviving airframe in the Italian Air Force Museum.....

[W J Pearce]

Re: Looking for MC-72 info.

I feel the Wiki article left out an important chapter in the MC 72 / AS 6 history. Of course as you push the limits the limits push back and two of the five MC 72s built were lost during testing, taking the life of their pilots.

From what I remember, the main issue in development was the AS 6 engine backfiring at high power / speed. The engine ran perfectly on the ground but not during flight. These backfires would result in the engine exploding in flight.

Saying the AS 6 was two AS 5 engines bolted back-to-back is an oversimplification but the AS 6 was comprised of two 12-cylinder “halves”. The rear “half” of the engine has the supercharger and supplies air to both halves through a 10 foot long manifold. This induction is filled with a volatile air/fuel mix ready to go into the cylinders but was exploding in the induction during flight from the backfires.

In 1932 the Italians reached out to the British for help. Specifically they wanted Rod Banks help. Banks was the person responsible for the witch’s brew fuel used for the Rolls-Royce R’s Schneider efforts. Keep in mind the only people in history at this point that have gone over 400 mph were the British, specifically Supermarine and Rolls-Royce. The British sent Banks to see what he could do.

Among other things, what Banks discovered was that the Italians had not fully accounted for the ram effect of having air forced into the induction by the forward speed of the aircraft. Sure it ran great on the ground but the 400 mph air being rammed into the intake resulted in a lean condition ending in a backfire that would ignite the mixture in the 10 foot induction.

Banks knew how Rolls-Royce had dealt with this issue. RR has used a Kestrel engine that ran a blower which supplied ram air for the engine being tested. Banks had the Italians use a similar set-up. The AS 6 engine was then tuned to be happy at 400+ mph. The Italians went out and beat the British speed record of 407 mph, raising it ultimately to 440 mph.

The point is air racing has always been a unique sport. Once again you have competitors helping each other to try to beat each other. At least, that is how I remember it from what I have read.

[flyingjibus]

Re: Looking for MC-72 info.

One of my favorite aircraft.

[JET1]

as I recall...

...its typically Italian....like the countach, beautiful, over complicated, impossible to make it work....but beautiful!

[BuckyD]

Re: Looking for MC-72 info.

When folks talk about an airplane being/looking- "Sexy", this beauty's a classic example of what they mean.

DBD

[Mustang1957]

Re: Looking for MC-72 info.

I think it led to the famous macchi 202/205 fighters of WWII.