CANT Z.501 Gabbiano (Gull)

Reconnaissance Flying Boat Aircraft

Kingdom of Italy | 1936

"The CANT Z.501 Gabbiano was a serviceable floatplane for Italian interests in World War 2, though hardly an offensive-minded weapon."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the CANT Z.501 Gabbiano (Gull) Reconnaissance Flying Boat Aircraft.

1 x Isotta Fraschini Asso XI R2C.15 12-cylinder liquid-cooled inline engine developing 900 horsepower.
Propulsion

171 mph
275 kph | 148 kts
Max Speed

22,966 ft
7,000 m | 4 miles
Service Ceiling

1,491 miles
2,400 km | 1,296 nm
Operational Range

820 ft/min
250 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the CANT Z.501 Gabbiano (Gull) Reconnaissance Flying Boat Aircraft.

4 to 5
(MANNED)
Crew

46.9 ft
14.30 m
O/A Length

73.8 ft
(22.50 m)
O/A Width

14.4 ft
(4.40 m)
O/A Height

8,488 lb
(3,850 kg)
Empty Weight

15,543 lb
(7,050 kg)
MTOW

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the CANT Z.501 Gabbiano (Gull) Reconnaissance Flying Boat Aircraft .

STANDARD:
1 x 7.7mm machine gun in bow position
1 x 7.7mm machine gun in engine nacelle position
1 x 7.7mm machine gun in dorsal position

OPTIONAL:
Up to 1,411 lb (640 kg) of bombs.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the CANT Z.501 Gabbiano (Gull) family line.

Z.501 - Base Series Designation

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/31/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The CANT Z.501 Gabbiano (meaning "Gull") was a flying boat aircraft developed in Italy and shared a resemblance to the successful American Consolidated PBY Catalina series. By the time of the World War 2, the design should have been on its way out but was pressed into further service in the reconnaissance role. In the end, the system forged on through the global conflict eventually seeing the end of its operational life by 1950.

First flown in 1934 as a prototype, the Z.501 was a design of famous Italian aviation engineer Filippo Zappata in an attempt to replace the aged Savoia-Marchetti S.78 series. Design was of a traditional type, with a large wing assembly mounted on struts up high and away from the fuselage, which featured a boat-like hull. The engine was mounted in the wing structure and was of a single type - an Isotta Fraschini Asso XI R2C.15 12-cylinder liquid-cooled inline engine of 900 horsepower. A crew of four or five personnel were called upon to operate the various positions and systems of the aircraft which included a bow gun position, an engine nacelle gun position and a dorsal fuselage gun position. The machine guns were supplemented by the 1,411lb bombload.

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In combat, the Z.501 were pressed into service mainly for their reconnaissance capabilities but also served in search and rescue sorties. In either case, the aircraft performed superbly thanks to the type's long range capabilities and loitering times. Losses of the system were high as is expected with these slow flying boat types but the aircraft saw action against French and British forces nonetheless and also took part in the Spanish Civil War before that. Aircraft production in wartime necessitated the need for speed and as such many were sent off the production lines in less than stellar operating condition. If the Z.501 had a blotch on its otherwise adequate operating record it was in the wooden fuselage construction which had a tendency to break up in rough waters. As an aircraft, the Z.501 fared better than as an ocean-going craft. In terms of combat performance, the Z.501 was nothing to speak of - finishing the war without a single air-to-air kill.

The Z.501 did go on to break several distance endurance records during its production run.

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Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the CANT Z.501 Gabbiano (Gull). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 200 Units
Contractor(s): Cant - Italy

[ Kingdom of Italy; Romania; Spain ]

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Going Further...
The CANT Z.501 Gabbiano (Gull) Reconnaissance Flying Boat Aircraft appears in the following collections:

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