| p:abstract
| - The Ambrosini SAI.207 was a lightweight fighter aircraft developed in Italy during World War II.
Sergio Stefanutti, chief-designer of several aircraft models, tried to make competitive aircraft with several very fast models made when he was working for the Societa Aeronautica Italiana (SAI) of Ing. A. Ambrosini in Passignano sul Trasimeno, Umbria.
The first success was the SAI-Ambrosini S.7 (s for Stefanutti), designed around 1937, flown in 1939 and produced in 12 examples. It arrived second to Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun in 1939 Rimini Aviomeeting, but after conquering one of the last records set by Italian aircraft, with 392 km/h over 100 km distance (27 August 1939), a Military version was ordered as training aircraft, using a Isotta-Fraschini Beta six cylinder air cooled engine. This was to be the base for several SAI-Ambrosini fighters.
SAI-Ambrosini, with Stefanutti as chief-designer, started to make fighter aircraft in 1939, trying to compete with Fiat, and also because this, tried with several unconventional machines (Fiat designs were by comparison instead quite conservative).
The first was SAI SS.4, characterized by canard wings (It looked a bit like the Curtiss XP-55 Ascender or the Kyushu J7W1 Shinden), extrapolated by other Stefanutti projects. But this machine soon crashed, killing the pilot.
Stefanutti returned to more convenctional designs with the light SAI.107, derived from the successful S.7 trainer. The light fighter concept, followed also in the post war period, was quite popular in early '40s, with some realizations (the most prominent was arguably the Caudron C.760). With a great care for low drag design, it was possible build fighters with engines quite weak (around the half or litte more than usual) and still have fast machines. The too light construction and the unfavourable power-to weight ratio (evident in climb times) however allowed only little success to them. Among them one of the faster was the SAI.207, derived from the SAI.107.
The first of the three prototypes (designated MM 441 till MM 443) flew in Autumn 1940. MM 441 seems to have been the sole SAI.107, while MM 442 and MM443 were the true SAI.207 prototypes, but MM 442 already crashed on 5 December, killing test pilot Mario Faccioli. The MM 441 was lost together with test pilot Arturo Ferrarin on 18 July 1941.
The second SAI.207 prototype, MM 443, did not take to the air until Spring 1942, witnessing the troubles that this project gave for ing. Stefanutti team were never quite solved. (en)
- Le SAI Ambrosini, SAI 207, était un monoplace de chasse italien construit en petite série durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. (fr)
- Il SAI Ambrosini 207 era un prototipo di caccia leggero italiano costruito durante la seconda guerra mondiale dalla Società Aeronautica Italiana Ambrosini. Il primo prototipo volò nell'autunno del 1940 e precipitò il 5 dicembre; nell'incidente morì il pilota Mario Faccioli. Il secondo prototipo non volò fino alla primavera del 1942.
L'aereo aveva ottime doti, essendo in grado di raggiungere i 575 km/h con soli 750 CV (560 kW) di potenza del motore. Il Ministero dell'Aeronautica ordinò la produzione di 2.000 esemplari, ma nel gennaio 1943 venne cancellata in favore del SAI Ambrosini 403, che era stato rivisto dal progettista Sergio Stefanutti. (it)
- SAI.207 は第二次世界大戦中にイタリアで生産された戦闘機である。有名なレーサー機SAI.7から発展した全木製の軽戦闘機で高性能を示したが、イタリアの敗戦により極少数しか生産されなかった。 (ja)
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