Pomilio Gamma

The Pomilio Gamma was an Italian fighter prototype of 1918.

Gamma
The Pomilio company of Turin designed and manufactured the Gamma, a wooden, single-seat, single-bay biplane with wings of unequal span, the upper wing being of greater span than the lower. It was powered by a 149-kilowatt (200-horsepower) SPA 6A water-cooled engine driving a two-bladed tractor propeller. It had fixed, tailskid landing gear.

The Gamma prototype first flew early in 1918. An Italian official commission observed a demonstration of it, and concluded that although it was fast and had good maneuverability, its rate of climb was insufficient to merit a production order.

Gamma IF
Pomilio responded to the Gamma's shortcomings by building a second prototype, the Gamma IF, fitted with a more powerful Isotta Fraschini V.6 engine rated at 186 kilowatts (250 horsepower). An official commission saw a demonstration of the Gamma IF in 1918, but at first could not agree on whether it merited a production order. During the final weeks of World War I, the commission finally decided to order a small number of Gamma IF fighters, although the Gamma IF never entered active service.

Variants

 * Gamma
 * First prototype with SPA 6A engine


 * Gamma IF
 * Second prototype with Isotta Fraschini engine

Operators

 * Kingdom of Italy
 * Corpo Aeronautico Militare

Specifications (Gamma IF)
Notes:
 * Time to 3,000 m (9,842 ft): 7 min 30 sec