The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-06-08
FIAT co. BUILDS BLPLANE
FOR TRANSATLANTIC TRIP
Machine Expected to Span 1000 Miles in IA Hours
Fusilage to Be Built to Garry Oil and
Serve Also as Float.

Announcement Is made by tho Flat
company OF Turin, Italy, that It Is pre-
pairing a machine for q flight across the
Atlantic without the aid Of patrolling
steamships. The designers claim that
they can make this flight of practically
1000 miles In fourteen hours In view
OF the Importance Of the Fiat COM
pany, which Is the largest motor car
producing firm in Europe. and the high
reputation It has attained for aeronau-
tical productions. It can be assumed that
such statement would not be made tiri-
less there was every possibility Of the
claim being fulfilled.
Flat has had considerable experience
in long distance flights, for II was one
OF their machines which accomplished
the nonstop trip from Turin to Naples
and return, doing 1000 miles In 10
hours and 80 minutes. and It was also a
Fiat production which made the Turin
to London nonstop trip Of $50 miles
In hours and 80 minutes. The COM
pany also held for a long time the
worlds passenger carrying height rec
ord OF 23.050 feet In / hour and 8
minutes. This latter record was es-
tablished by Brack-Papa, who has been
selected as the pilot for the transatlantic
machine.
The machine now being built for tho
| flight across the Atlantic - a large BIZ
piane. the fuselage OF which is an all
metal construction divided into water
tight compartments and used to carry
CSC gallons of fuel. In case OF n forced
descent on the water this fuselage can
he instantly emptied of its contents and
will form float capable Of supporting
the pilot and observer for consider
able length OF time.
The Flat biplane will be ftted with
single twelve cylinder engine of 700
horsepower officially known as Type
Ala. This engine has been built
throughout the war for all the allied
Powers, and is the most powerful engine
in the world built specially for air SER
vice. The construction of this engine
presented numerous difficulties, and when
the work was first begun many experts
doubted the possibility of being able
to build or make use Of such a powerful
machine. All the difficulties were over
come, however and the 700 horsepower
Fiat became one of the most reliable en-
gines in the allied service and was
made use OF to a very considerable ex-
tent by the Italian bombing squadrons
operating both on the Italian front and
In France. One of the most important
pieces OF work 1t accomplished was the
bombing OF Pola by the 9-B squadron
on August 81. 1918
Engineer Rosatelll. who Is RESPONSE
BILE for the design OF the Fiat transat-
lartic machine, has tackled she problem
on entirely original lines He is of the
opinion that success can only be OBJ
tanned by a combination of high speed
and high load carrying capacity. To
accomplish the trip from the New to the
Old World in the time limit imposed an
average speed OF las miles an hour
must be maintained. This exceptionally
high speed can be attained even with
the large amount OF fuel necessary for
such q long journey.
BY reducing tho time limit in this
way two possible sources OF failure,
namely changes in the weather and pos
sibe stoppage OF the engine. will be con-
siderably reduced. 1T should be borne
in mind that the engine capable of
driving the airplane at this speed will
not be subjected to any greater strain
than the engine used on slower ma
chimes
Special study has been devoted 70
tho problem of plotting out position while
crossing the Atlantic and while fyIns