Italian Forces

The heir of a great plane

IMC Archives

The Fiat G.59 in flight. This superb plane, one of last fighters with piston engine built in the world, was created by Giuseppe Gabrielli, the Fiat “G” plane’s designer, coupling the G.55 with a British Rolls-Royce Merlin 500-20 1635 HP engine. As first prototype was employed the airframe of the G.56, last development of G.55 Centauro never entered in service, which flew on 1948. The G.59, employed by Italian Air Force as advanced trainer in the Flying School of Elmas in Sardinia and Lecce in Apulia, was built in abound 100 exemplars in version single seat (G.59A) and two seat (G.59B) and in four series (1, 2, 3 and 4). The aircraft of fourth series (G.59-4A and G.59-4B) had the cockpit revised with a bubble canopy. The G.59 was employed by the Schools until 1965, but some planes, in “jet era” considered a “romantic plane” for “romantic pilots” (and also well experienced, piloting a plane of WW2 isn’t easy for jet pilots) pilots, was still in service for practice of “old pilots” (many NCO) and for air show until the half Seventies. Victor Sierra