Piaggio P.136

During the 1940s, barely a year following the end of the Second World War, Italian aircraft manufacturer Piaggio Aero, being keen to rebuild itself and its customer base in the post-war era, embarked upon the development of a new amphibian design. As noted by Aviation periodical Flight International, this was no simple choice, as many aviation companies had been defeated in their ambitions to develop efficient flying watercraft and required ingenuity to achieve. During 1954, Francis K. Trecker, president of Kearney & Trecker Corporation, was impressed when he witnessed a P.136 in flight, and offered to bring the type to the North American market. ==Design==

The Piaggio P.136 was a twin-engine pusher-type amphibian, being capable of carrying a maximum of five people with baggage, or a pair of stretchers and an accompanying medical attendant. Several features of the P.136 are to enhance customer convenience. Access to the cabin is eased by stepping on the spray dam set upon the chine, while a spacious baggage compartment is present to the rear of this cabin; some bulky cargo may also be stowed inside a large chamber accessed via a hatch located just aft of the wing. All of the flight control surfaces had a fabric covering, these typically being mass-balanced. As common amongst flying boats, both the control wheel and pedal travel are large, aiding in take-off runs to avoid water-based obstructions such as buoys. Water steering is achieved via a large rudder that is linked to cable of the aerodynamic rudder; it is extended by pulling a long wire out of the cabin roof. Highly-effective slotted flaps were positioned in sections on either side of the engine nacelles, full deployment of which rarely being used other than to rapidly decelerate. ==Operational history==

According to Flight International, the Italian Air Force was the first organisation to place an order for the type. During the 1950s, the Italian Air Force opted to procure a fleet of 14 P.136s, where they were used to conduct coastal patrol and air-sea rescue missions. In addition to military sales, the P. 136 also received orders from civilian operators. A number were purchased by individuals and private operators. ==Variants==

;P.136F :Variant with Franklin engines, mainly produced for the Italian Air Force, 18 built. ;P.136L :Variant with Lycoming GO-435 engines, two built and one P.136F converted. ;P.136L-1 :Five-seat amphibian flying boat, powered by two 201-kW (270-hp) Avco Lycoming GO-480-B engine, 18 built. ;P.136L-2 :Five-seat amphibian flying boat, powered by two 254-kW (340-hp) Avco Lycoming GSO-480 piston engines, 24-assembled in the United States from Italian supplied kits. ;Royal Gull :Both the P.136-L1 and P.136-L2 were marketed in the United States by the Kearney and Trecker Corporation. ==Operators==

Military operators ; • Italian Air Force operated 22 aircraft (14 Piaggio P-136F and eight Piaggio P-136L-1s) from 1951 until 1961 ; • Peruvian Air Force – four aircraft (one P.136 and three P.136L-2s) ; • Bangladesh Army – one P.136L-1 (registered AP-ALV) Civilian ; • Olympic Aviation operated two P.136 L2, including SX-BDC which crashed on take-off from Athens (Ellinikon Airport) on 22 January 1973, resulting in the death of Alexander Onassis ; • Macau Air Transport Company (Hong Kong) Limited operated 1 P.136 L2 ==Specifications (P.136-L-2)==