Flight characteristics of Savoia Marchetti SM.79

[Richard Aigner]

MacGregor Knox, in „Mussolini Unleashed“, p. 23 writes about the SM.79: „It nevertheless had flaws - the chief of which was extreme instability in rough air; according to Valle’s successor, the Germans „considered it so dangerous that they dared not set foot in it.“
Is there anything to it? As Mr. Knox' book is truly excellent, I'd be surprised if it wasn't.
Richard

[Graham Boak]

It seems unlikely, given the aircraft's long and fairly outstanding career. Just who was Valle's successor, and what credibility has he in the subject? Or Knox's, for that matter? The names are not familiar to me.

The successor aircraft, the SM.84, was much less successful and perhaps the comment referred to this?

[Boris Ciglic]

I have read many documents and statements about the SM.79 in Royal Yugoslav Air Force and I never found even a hint that it was unstable for flying. Main problems were design flaws with the fuel lines and carburetors and these lead to some fatal accidents, but nothing on instability. It was complex for take-off and landing as even the upper turret gunner had his share of manual operations in it, but otherwise pilots were fond of it.

Boris

[Richard Aigner]

Knox gives
William Green, "Famous Bombers of the Second WW", (Garden City, NY 1959), p. 17 and
General Francesco Pricolo (Valle's successor), "La Regia Aeronautica nella seconda guerra mondiale" (Milano 1971), p. 104
as sources.
Richard

[Juha]

I have the 1975 edition of William Green, "Famous Bombers of the Second WW" and went cursorily through the Sparviero part and noticed the following comments on its handling:
on p. 64 "...The S.M.79-I was not very popular with the Yugoslav pilots who considered its landing characteristics to be poor."

But in the end p. 65 " ...It possessed excellent handling qualities and was favoured over all other bombers by its crews..."