Piaggio P.111
Introduction The '''Piaggio P.111''' was an Italian high-altitude research aircraft designed and built by Piaggio for the ''Regia Aeronautica'' (Italian Royal Air Force).
Design and development The genesis of the P.111 was in 1938, when the ''Regia Aeronautica'' awarded a contract to Piaggio to construct the prototype of a three-seat, twin-engine, high-speed, high-altitude bomber with a pressurized cabin. Piaggio constructed a new radial engine especially for the P.111, the  18-cylinder double-row air-cooled Piaggio P.XII R.C.l00/2v, which was fitted with a two-stage supercharger.While the P.111 prototype was under construction, the ''Regia Aeronatica'' decided to use it as a high-altitude research aircraft rather than a bomber prototype.===Operational history===The P.111 first flew on 9 April 1941.Employed in research related to pressurization of the cabin of the Piaggio P.108 heavy bomber, it made 110 test and research flights before being retired and scrapped early in 1943.
Operators ;*''Regia Aeronautica''
Specifications Piaggio company photograph of the P.111 at Villanova d'Albenga, Savona, Italy, in 1941
See also
References
External links * AR Aircraft Manuals Blueprints Video Publications: Piaggio P.111