G 50 V
At the start of 1940, when it became clear that the brilliant DB601 in-line engine could also be made available in Italy, various Italian companies, which up to that time had used only radial engines for their fighters, began planning to adopt the new power unit.
FIAT also took into serious consideration the possibilities afforded by the DB 601; in fact first calculations showed that the G 50, with the use of this engine, would have seen its top speed raised by about 100 km/h. In summer 1940 FIAT proceeded to investigate the proposition; the wing remained unchanged - that of the G 50 bis - but fuselage and tailplanes were completely redesigned.
The mock-up began to take shape at the end of the year. The part which had to have most time devoted to it related to the cooling system, since the perfecting of the radiator, so that small frontal section would not be at the expense of good cooling power, weighed heavily on the overall performance.
The G 50 V prototype (MM 479) was completed in summer 1941 in the CMASA's workshops, and at the start of August was moved to Aeritalia's air-strip. Here, with Lt. Col. Guerra, CMASA's chief test pilot, at the controls, it embarked on tests on the 25th of August.
The fitting out flights of the aircraft went on for a period of months; during this phase it touched 580 km/h in level flight, taking 5 min 30 sec to climb to 6,000 metres.
Since with the arrival, which was pending, of the DB 605, it would be possible to finish the G 55's prototype (considerably more promising by way of characteristics) it was decided to waive all development of the G 50 V, making use of it exclusively for certain experimental flights in perfection of specific fittings.
Code:
Wing span 11 m
Length 8.66m
Height 2.60m
Wing area 18.25 sq.m
Empty weight 2,336 kg
Loaded weight 2,900 kg
Max speed 580 km/h
Climb to 6,000 m in 5 min 30 sec
Service ceiling 10,500 m
Range 1,250 km
