The turbine birddog first originated in Italy around the 1960's. The Italian army had purchased the original Cessna birddog but required some modification to the model. Siai Marchetti were chosen for the redesign to give the birddog more muscle .
To look at, the two birddogs are very similar but the biggest difference is the change from a piston engine to a turbine. As an observer aircraft the performance would be unmatched. Incorporating a turbine now enable the aircraft to have beta position to enable reverse airflow to slow the aircraft while on the runway. A three blade propeller was introduced along with a passenger/observer door for easier access. There was now the use of 60 degrees of flap and even greater visibility and the variation of the body slightly. One exciting factor is the aircraft is cable of taking off in a minimum of 200ft piloted by a capable person. |
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