The Savoia-Marchetti S.73 first flew on 4 June 1934 from Cameri and unusually was developed in just four months. The Italian manufacturer achieved this by using the wings of another aircraft and adding a new cabin.
Powered by three Piaggio Stella P.IX piston engines, it had a capacity of 18 passengers and a crew of four. It could fly up to 1,600km (994 miles) to altitudes as high as 24,272 feet (7,398 metres), at a speed of 280km/h (174mph or 151 knots).
Savoia-Marchetti S.73 Video
Following on from the last video about the Belgian airline Sabena, this time we head to Italy for a look at the Savoia-Marchetti S.73. This presentation runs for just under three minutes and shows everything from manufacturing to airline flights.
Sabena was the first airline to put the aircraft into service from March 1935, first on European routes, then down to Africa. The speed of the plane reduced the flight times from five days to four days.
The other major operator was Ala Littoria, which was the main Italian airline during the Mussolini years. They flew many examples and eventually most of these went to Regia Aeronautica, the Royal Italian Air Force.
The video is set to a jaunty jazz soundtrack and there is a blink and you’ll miss it view of inside the cabin included. As with many aircraft of this era, they ended up joining the war effort, which is shown at the end of the video.
Overall Thoughts
According to the production list, 47 Savoia-Marchetti S.73s were produced between 1935 and 1938. Sadly their career was relatively short, with all seemingly gone by the end of the war.
Even so, it’s interesting to see something a little unusual, as Italy is not really known for aircraft manufacturing. They had a thriving industry at one point, so it should be remembered.
Did you know about this aircraft and what did you think of the video? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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