Isotta Fraschini Beta
The Isotta Fraschini Beta was an air cooled aircraft engine produced by the Italian engineering company Isotta Fraschini in the 1940s. Isotta Fraschini derived the Beta inverted 6-cylinder in-line aircraft engine from the V-12 Gamma. The engine saw limited production for aircraft, including the Nardi FN.316 and Ambrosini SAI.7, but was generally unsatisfactory in service. Design and developmentIsotta Fraschini had developed V-12 Gamma aircraft engine, which gained some success, powering the Ambrosini SAI.107 lightweight fighter.[1] The company took essentially half of the engine and created the Beta inverted 6-cylinder in-line aircraft engine. The Beta shared the larger engine's bore and stroke. The engine had a one-piece aluminium alloy crankcase with steel and aluminium cylinders, each with a single inlet and a single exhaust valve. It had a carburettor designed by Isotta Fraschini and a single speed supercharger.[2] The Beta was produced in small numbers and fitted to a number of Italian training aircraft, including the Nardi FN.316 used in limited quantities by the Regia Aeronautica, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana and German Luftwaffe during World War II.[3] However, the engine was unsatisfactory in service, its failure leading to the cancellation of the IMAM Ro.63 STOL reconnaissance aircraft.[4] Variants
ApplicationsSpecificationsData from Wilkinson, 1945[2] General characteristics
Components
Performance
See alsoRelated development Comparable engines Related lists ReferencesNotes
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