Engineering:Piaggio P.149

Piaggio P.149
Role	Utility liaison or training monoplane
Manufacturer	Piaggio Aero Focke-Wulf
First flight	19 June 1953
Primary users	German Air Force Swissair Flying School
Number built	88 (Piaggio) 190 (Focke-Wulf)
Developed from	Piaggio P.148

German Air Force Focke-Wulf built FWP.149D at Hanover Airport in 1966

Piaggio P.149E of the Swissair Flying School at Bern (Belp) airfield in 1973

Focke-Wulf FWP. 149D in Canadian civil service

P.149D

The Piaggio P.149 is a 1950s Italian utility and liaison aircraft designed and built by Piaggio. The aircraft was built under licence by Focke-Wulf in West Germany as the FWP.149D.

Development

The P.149 was developed as a four-seat touring variant of the earlier P.148. The P.149 is an all-metal, low-wing cantilever monoplane with a retractable tricycle landing gear with room for four or five occupants. The prototype first flew on 19 June 1953.

Only a few were sold, until the German Air Force selected the aircraft for a training and utility role. Piaggio delivered 76 aircraft out of a total of 88 built in Italy to Germany, while another 190 were built in Germany by Focke-Wulf.

Operational history

The aircraft was operated by the German Air Force between 1957 and 1990.

Swissair's Flying School based at Bern (Belp) airfield used a small fleet of the type to provide primary instruction to trainee pilots.

Operators

Germany

• German Air Force
• Marineflieger

Israel

• Israeli Air Force

Italy

• Italian Air Force operated two Piaggio P.149Ds from 1953 until 1955

Nigeria

• Nigerian Air Force operated 12 Piaggo P.149D in 1967

Switzerland

• Swissair Flying School

Tanzania

• Tanzanian Air Force

Uganda

Ugandan Air Force

Specifications (P.149D)

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1958-59

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Capacity: 2-3
• Length: 8.8 m (28 ft 10 in)
• Wingspan: 11.12 m (36 ft 6 in)
• Height: 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in)
• Wing area: 18.81 m² (202.5 sq ft)
• Aspect ratio: 6.6
• Airfoil: root: NACA 230 series; tip: NACA 4412
• Empty weight: 1,160 kg (2,557 lb)
• Gross weight: 1,680 kg (3,704 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming GO-480 B1A6 , 200 kW (270 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 304 km/h (189 mph, 164 kn) at sea level

285 km/h (177 mph; 154 kn) at 2,000 m (6,600 ft)

• Cruise speed: 266 km/h (165 mph, 144 kn) at 2,300 m (7,500 ft) and 67% METO power
• Stall speed: 92 km/h (57 mph, 50 kn) at sea level with flaps
• Range: 1,090 km (680 mi, 590 nmi) with 30 minutes reserve
• Service ceiling: 6,050 m (19,850 ft)
• Rate of climb: 5 m/s (980 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 89.3 kg/m² (18.3 lb/sq ft)
• Power/mass: 0.120 kW/kg (0.073 hp/lb)
  
• Take-off distance to 15 m (50 ft): 405 m (1,330 ft) in nil wind
• Landing distance from 15 m (50 ft): 315 m (1,030 ft) in nil wind

See also

Related development

• Piaggio P.148

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• IAR 823
• Orličan L-40 Meta Sokol
• Ryan Navion

References

• Donald, David. The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Leicester, UK: Blitz Editions, 1997. ISBN:1-85605-375-X.
• Gandet, Erich. "'Wulf' in Sheep's Clothing: Farewell to Swissair's P.149s". Air Enthusiast. No. 92. March/April 2001. pp. 42–43. ISSN 0143-5450.
• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985), 1985, Orbis Publishing, Page 2714.
• Simpson, R. W. Airlife's General Aviation. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., Second edition, 1995. ISBN:1-85310-577-5.
• Stevens, James Hay. "Fully Aerobatic Four-Seater". Flight, 18 July 1958, p. 73.
• Wheeler, Barry C. "World's Air Forces 1980". Flight International, 4 October 1980. pp. 1323–1378.