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Summary: Fiat Falco - Falcon biplane aircraft Airplane blueprint for the Fiat, Falco, -, Falcon, biplane ... Aviation history and aircraft blueprints/plans. More than anyone else, the Italians held on to the concept of the biplane fighter until the bitter end. The Fiat CR42, known as the "Falco" (falcon in English), was one of the last biplane fighters in the world, and first flew in 1938. Like most Italian fighters of the period, it had a low power engine, high maneuverability, but was relatively lightly armed. This made it perfect for fighting in air battles like those seen in WW1, but a death trap come the 1940s. Nevertheless, Fiat sold the CR42 to Belgium, Hungary, and Sweden before WW2.
In 1940, CR42s fought well against France, but suffered heavy losses against the RAF early in the Battle of Britain. After 1940, CR42s were withdrawn from northern Europe, but fought on in Greece, the Balkans, and in north Africa, where they at least held there own against the antiquated RAF biplanes operating in that theatre.
Amazingly, the CR42 fought all the way through WW2 with about 2,000 built in total. After the Italian armistice in 1943, the CR42 fought on both sides, with the Luftwaffe taking over the few that remained in north Italy, using the CR42 in Russian-style tactics that employed older planes at night for ground attack raids.
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