Powered by a Fiat A.74 RC38 14-cylinder radial engine producing 840 horsepower, the Falco could reach a top speed of 274 mph. However, that’s not impressive compared to the Hurricane’s top speed of 340, the Messerschmitt’s nearly 350, or the Spitfire’s blazing 408 mph. Still, a one-off version (CR.42DB) was built that reached 323 mph and still holds the Guinness record for being the fastest biplane ever.
Despite the obvious obsolescence of biplanes, Rosatelli pressed on, but with some advanced aerodynamic tweaks. The Falco’s lower wing was less than half the surface area and thus much smaller than the upper wing. This sesquiplane variation helped make it nimble and incredibly difficult to hit.
A few other questionable “tweaks” went into the design, though. The plane was light, with an empty weight of fewer than 4,000 pounds. But that was accomplished by excluding things like armor or a working radio, so there was no way for pilots to communicate or coordinate attacks.
Additionally, early versions were armed with only two forward-facing Breda SAFAT machine guns. These were great against WWI’s wood and canvas-covered planes but not so much against the armor and metal found on the newest fighter craft.
Rosatelli wasn’t entirely wrong about the Falco — 1,819 were built between 1939 and 1944. While Italy used the majority, other countries such as Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Sweden, Belgium, and Spain also flew them. The very last biplane victory may have been when a Luftwaffe-piloted Falco shot down a P-38 Lightning over Croatia in February 1945. Only four are known to have survived.
