J.Davilla Italian Aviation in the First World War. Vol.2: Aircraft A-H (A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes 74)

Ginocchio Seaplane

  There is little information on this aircraft, only one photograph and some notes in Guidoni’s memoirs are available:
  Com.te Ginocchio ... after some tests in Vigna di Valle with an apparatus equipped with automatic stability, had set up the first San Marco squadron in Venice and a kind of experimental hydro-aviation plant, where he prepared his apparatus with a Salmson engine from 90 horsepower...
  The ten. vase. Manlio Ginocchio had taken flying lessons in Centocelle in July 1910. His instructor had been ten. Savoia and had obtained his airplane pilot license on 31 October 1910 in France on a Bleriot plane.
  When the Ministry of War, with a circular dated 28 October 1910, set up the “Aviation Section” ten. vase. Ginocchio was assigned to it.
  Among with the colonello Moris, tenente Gazzera and sottotenete Cammarota Adorni, he was then sent to Paris to buy a Bleriot type aircraft for the Aviation Section.
  When the Scuola Militaire di Aviazione (Military Aviation School) was established in Centocelle (1 December 1910), he was appointed commander of the same and pilot instructor on Bleriot aircraft. After the Centocelle school closed, he became the director and flight instructor of the Aviano school, which opened on 8 May 1911.
  In 1912 Ginocchio was sent to the Scuola di Idrovolanti di Juan-Les Pins (Juan-Les Pins Seaplane School to obtain his license. In October of the same year, at the establishment of the Sezione Idroaviazione (Seaplane Section) at Le Vergini in Venice, he assumed command of it.
  While serving in Centocelle he designed and built an innovative type of seaplane. It was a monoplane which instead of having two lateral floats used only one central float. On 9 June 1912 Ginocchio tested his seaplane on Lake Bracciano.
  Based on his experiences, as Guidoni recalls, Ginocchio designed another seaplane, which was built in the Venice Arsenal in 1912. It was a very sturdy biplane, with internal metal structures and a single central float in the shape of a hull; a precursor of future flying boat designs. The crew of two were seated in the hull, where they were better protected from the elements. There were two small stabilizing floats at the ends of the lower wing, an engine with a propeller behind the wings and a tubular lattice fuselage. There was also a “balancer” in front of the cockpit.
  His design was not very successful. There was apparently no opportunity to make further planned modifications which would have improved its handling.
  The seaplane was acquired by the Italian Navy and became part of the early Italian naval establishment in Venice. The bow was fitted a wave guard and the bottom had dual hydroplane fins.
  The Sezione Aviazione di Venezia (Aviation Section of Venice) had one Calderra, one Ginocchio, one Guidoni, and Curtiss-Paulhan seaplanes for use as trainers.


Ginocchio seaplane with one 90-hp Salmson engine
  Wingspan 12.20 m (12.20 m in Magaldi); length 12.40 m (10.40 m); height 2.80 m; wing area 26 sq m
  Empty weight 720 kg;
  Maximum speed of 80-85 km/h (95 km/h)
  One built