| M.39 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Racing seaplane |
| Manufacturer | Aeronautica Macchi |
| Designer | |
| Primary user | Regia Aeronautica |
| Number built | Five (two trainers and three racers), plus one static-test airframe |
| History | |
| First flight | 6 July 1926 |
The Macchi M.39 was a racing seaplane designed and built by the Italian aircraft manufacturer Aeronautica Macchi. The type is most remembered for its settings of multiple world speed records during the mid 1920s, as well as for winning the Schneider Trophy, for which the M.39 had been specifically developed.
Designed by Mario Castoldi and constructed in Varese, north-western Lombardy, the M.39 was a considerable departure from the company's preceding racing flying boat, the Macchi M.33. It was a single-seat twin-float seaplane with an open cockpit, tightly-braced monoplane wing, and a streamlined fuselage. Two-thirds of the wing's upper surfaces functioned as surface radiators, providing relatively low drag cooling for the engine. It was powered by a Fiat AS.2 V-12 piston engine with an exceptionally high power-to-weight ratio for the era.
Two versions of the M.39, a trainer version and a racer, were produced. On 6 July 1926, the first aircraft, the trainer model MM.72, performed the type's maiden flight. On 13 November 1926, three M.39s participated in the 1926 Schneider Trophy contest, held at Hampton Roads, Virginia, in the United States; one aircraft, MM.76, piloted by Mario de Bernardi, took first place with an average speed of 396.698 kilometres per hour (246.497 mph), setting a new world speed record for seaplanes, while MM.74, flown by Adriano Bacula, came in third place.