Pomilio Gamma

The Pomilio company of Turin designed and manufactured the Gamma, a wooden, single-seat, single-bay biplane with wings of unequal span, the upper wing being of greater span than the lower. It was powered by a 149-kilowatt (200-horsepower) SPA 6A water-cooled engine driving a two-bladed tractor propeller. It had fixed, tailskid landing gear.^[1]

The Gamma prototype first flew early in 1918. An Italian official commission observed a demonstration of it, and concluded that although it was fast and had good maneuverability, its rate of climb was insufficient to merit a production order.^[2]

Pomilio addressed the Gamma's shortcomings by developing a second prototype, the Gamma IF, equipped with a more powerful Isotta Fraschini V.6 engine rated at 186 kilowatts (250 horsepower). An official commission saw a demonstration of the Gamma IF in 1918 but initially could not agree on whether it warranted a production order. During the final weeks of World War I, the commission finally decided to order a small number of Gamma IF fighters; however, the aircraft never entered active service.^[3]

Gamma

First prototype with SPA 6A engine

Gamma IF

Second prototype with Isotta Fraschini engine

Kingdom of Italy

• Corpo Aeronautico Militare