Savoia-Marchetti S.56

The Savoia-Marchetti S.56 was an Italian single-engine biplane flying boat built as a trainer and tourer. Its wooden wings were of unequal span, the upper longer than the lower, and instructor and student sat side by side in separate cockpits with dual controls, with a third cockpit just behind. The first version used a 52 kW Anzani engine; the S.56A had a slightly longer span and a 60 kW Anzani, and became an amphibian through manually retractable landing gear. Private owners and flying clubs bought at least twelve and the Regia Aeronautica operated four. The S.56A proved popular in the United States, where the American Aeronautical Corporation began licence production in 1929, and the Budd Company built an all-metal version as the BB-1 Pioneer in 1931. Preserved examples are on display at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in New York and at Smith Reynolds Airport in North Carolina.