NOTE: RADIO CONTROL AIRPLANES ARE ON THE BOTTOM HALF OF THE PAGE.
The Fiat CR.42 Falco was the world's last biplane fighter aircraft. The aircraft was produced as a result of a mistaken belief by the Italian Air Ministry that fighter aircraft maneuverability would triumph over speed.
In 1941 a single Fiat CR.42 was produced that was equipped with a 1,000 h.p. DB 601 engine. It became the world's fastest biplane and unofficial speed record holder with a top speed of 323 mph.
The Fiat CR.42 Falco served a major role as a bomber escort for the Regia Aeronautica when Italy entered the Second World War. The biplane not only served in the Italian Air Force, but the air forces of Belgium, Sweden and Hungry.
Initially used over France, the aircraft were eventually based in Belgium for Italian bombing attacks against England, where they had heavy losses against modern British fighter aircraft.
The biplane fighters fared much better over the Balkans, Greece and North Africa, where most of the enemy aircraft that they encountered were other biplanes.
The CR.42 Falco was among the most maneuverable of World War II aircraft and had excellent speed for a biplane, but it lacked the speed of monoplane fighter aircraft of its day.
Falco aircraft continued in operations until the surrender of Italy in 1943.
A total of 1,784 CR.42 Falco aircraft were produced.
fighter
one
Fiat A.74 radial
840 h.p.
3,930 lbs.
5,060 lbs.
none
2-12.7 mm
27' 2"
31' 10"
267 mph
2,350 fpm
33,500 feet
480 miles
5/23/38
1939
Model Airplane
Plastic scale Fiat CR 42 Falco by Phil Hale.
Radio Control Airplanes:
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With the exception of plans, we were not able to find recent examples of the rc Fiat CR.42 scale model radio control airplane.
Ken Kehlet of RC Universe (kbcopy@cox.net) has rc CR-42 Falco plans for sale. They are designed by Harold Osborne.
The smaller rc CR-42 Falco plan for sale builds to a 63" wingspan. It uses from .45 to .75 two stroke or .80 to 1.20 four stroke engines.
The larger rc giant scale CR-42 Falco plan for sale from Ken Kehlet builds to a wingspan of 80". Engines can be from .75 to 1.20 two stroke or .91 to 1.50 four stroke.
Horn had plans for a 63" wing span rc CR.42 Falco.
Demuzio had plans for a 64 1/2" wing span RC CR.42 Falco.
Gazzi had plans for a 79" wing span rc CR.42 Falco.
Some times these plans will come up for sale on eBay or in RC Groups.
Lucky, for those who enjoy building Fiat CR.42 Falco plastic scale model airplane kits, there are several to choose from.
In the picture immediately above is the 1/48 scale Classic Airframes CR.42 Falco model airplane built by Phil Hale. The kit contains 42 pieces and is of excellent quality. No flash has been observed on the kit pieces and all parts have good detailing.
Italiari has a 1/48 scale CR.42 Falco model airplane kit for sale shown in the first picture below. It has about 75
pieces, with numerous markings choices. There are good motor and cockpit details.
In the second picture below is a CR.42 Falco model airplane built from a 1/48 scale Italeri kit. It was built by Jean Barby. The kit is of good quality, with a number of good marking choices.
Pavla has a 1/72 scale CR.42 Falco kit consisting of 42 pieces. Kit parts need some extra trimming, but the overall quality is good.
Revell Matchbox has a 1/72 scale model airplane kit of the Fiat CR.42. It has a wing span of 5 1/4" and a length of 4 1/2". The 27 plastic part kit is easy to construct, but has decals for only a single version.
The next picture below is of a prototype Fiat CR.42 float plane from a 1/48 scale Classic Airframes kit. It was built by Ron Getz. The kit contains 62 pieces that have good attention to detail and scale accuracy.
The final picture on this page is of a 1/72 scale Fiat CR.42 model airplane built by Mark Fordham from a kit by Mr. Kit. The kit contains parts made from resin and brass. There are good details and very little flash to trim.
Please email us if you know of any rc Fiat CR.42 radio control airplanes.
Fiat CR.42 Falco
