Macchi M.B.308

MB.308 / MB-308

Aermacchi MB-308 in flight at the Historical Aircraft Group FlyParty 2014
Role	Utility aircraft Type of aircraft
National origin	Italy
Manufacturer	Macchi
Built by	German Bianco
First flight	19 January 1947
Primary users	Italian Air Force Argentine National Gendarmerie Egyptian Air Force Lebanese Air Force
Number built	183^{[citation needed]}

The Macchi MB.308, later Aermacchi MB-308, was a light aircraft produced in Italy in the late 1940s.

Development

It was a conventional high-wing cantilever monoplane with fixed tricycle undercarriage. Construction throughout was of wood. The pilot and a single passenger or instructor sat side by side, and later examples had a third seat behind them.

The MB.308 was ordered in quantity by the Italian Air Force, which leased them out to Italy's aeroclubs. A modified version with a higher-powered engine was put into production in Argentina, under licence to sailplane manufacturer German Bianco.

Operators

Argentina

Argentine National Gendarmerie

Egypt

Egyptian Air Force

Italy

Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana) - received 81 aircraft in 1948 and were retired in 1954^[1]

Lebanon

Lebanese Air Force

Variants

MB.308 - main production version with Continental C85 engine
- MB.308 Idro - seaplane version
MB.308G - three-seat version with Continental C90 engine
- MB.308G-100 - MB.308G built in Argentina with Continental O-200 engine and fuel tanks relocated from fuselage to wings

Specifications (MB.308 - C85 engine)

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1955–56^[2]

General characteristics

Crew: 2
Length: 6.53 m (21 ft 5 in)
Wingspan: 10.00 m (32 ft 10 in)
Height: 2.18 m (7 ft 2 in)
Wing area: 13.72 m² (147.7 sq ft)
Empty weight: 410 kg (904 lb)
Gross weight: 650 kg (1,433 lb)
Fuel capacity: 80 litres (21 US gal; 18 imp gal)
Powerplant: 1 × Continental C85 air-cooled flat-four, 63 kW (85 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 197 km/h (122 mph, 106 kn)
Cruise speed: 164 km/h (102 mph, 89 kn) (70% power)
Range: 760 km (470 mi, 410 nmi)
Service ceiling: 4,500 m (14,800 ft)
Time to altitude: 6 minutes to 1,000 m (3,300 ft)

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aermacchi MB-308.

Notes

^ "Macchi MB-308". Aeronautica Militare. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
^ Bridgman 1955, p. 172.

Bibliography

Bridgman, Leonard (1955). Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1955–56. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company.
"The Macchi MB 308". Flight: 64. 17 July 1947. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
Simpson, R. W. (1995). Airlife's General Aviation. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-577-5.
Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 419. ISBN 0-7106-0710-5.
World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 901 Sheet 03. ISBN 1-156-94382-5.