Identity Needed Italian Float Plane?
 

Hello,


Can anyone identify the float plane shown in the following link?:


https://www.ebay.it/itm/Foto-Fotogra...oAAOSwQYhfF9OC



TIA,


Clint

Re: Identity Needed Italian Float Plane?
 

Hello,


Looking around the internet and doing some image searches the aircraft shown is a Curtiss of the Scuola Idrovolante dell'Arsenalo di Venezia. I don't yet know the model of Cueriss involved however or the serial for any Italian Curtiss float planes.


Regards,


Clint

Re: Identity Needed Italian Float Plane?
 

Looks pretty much like a Curtiss to me

A number of Triads were imported by the Italian Navy in 1913. Served mostly on the east coast (such as Venice). Some embarked on Navy vessels such as 'San Marco' and 'Roma'

Pilot in the picture may be De Filippi or Pegna who were dedicated Curtiss pilots.

Not sure if any of these early Curtiss Hydros were imported by civilians. Can't find anyone, but that in itself means very little :)

Cheers
Stig

Re: Identity Needed Italian Float Plane?
 

Hello Stig,


Thanks. That helps. So when you reference Triads, I take it the model in question is the Curtiss Model E? Also it would appear that you have a little more information on the Italian Curtiss aircraft. Anything I should consider acquiring?


Edit

I have continued surfing the net and found https://www.hydroretro.net/etudegh/paulhancurtiss.pdf from which it appears the machine is a Curtiss Paulhan, one of eight built in Italy.



Regards,


Clint

Re: Identity Needed Italian Float Plane?
 

Well Clint

As per Gregory Alegi Italy bought three of these Curtiss-Paulhan Triads (he consistently call them Triad). They also bought three landplanes (of the same model) which were modified/converted by Paulhan into hydros.

Six more hydros were aquired from a dealer named Enea Bossi, origin not named.

After that I cannot see he mentions any more.

Paulhan is an interesting individual as such. I skimmed the article by Hartmann which is quite "wordy", but doesn't really provide much more info than already known.

Paulhan's so called factory is also a bit shady don't you think? Had he a factory of his own or did he ensure someone else actually built the aircraft under his name? Did he in fact have a factory at all or did he import aircraft parts from Curtiss and assembled them upon arrival? When WW 1 broke out, off he went to the Balkans and became a regular pilot. What happened to his factory? It is much easier to have a small assembly business going on than to have a full size factory building aircraft. But perhaps he ran a loosing business, so he was quite happy to close it down? Many questions with no real answers....

Checking Wikipedia (which is wrong in some places) don't make me any wiser. My French sources are also rather silent about his doings post 1918/19. He certainly does not start up any aircraft production by himself. He rather seems to have been employed by others.

Finally my French friends has told me to take Hartmann's writings with a pinch of salt..... I like however much of what he has written....

Cheers
Stig