Macchi M.26

The Macchi M.26 was an Italian flying boat fighter prototype of 1924 designed and manufactured by Macchi.

Design and development

In 1924, the Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy) issued a requirement for a replacement for its Macchi M.7ter flying boat fighter. To compete with the SIAI S.58 for a production order as the replacement, Macchi company designer Mario Castoldi (1888-1968) developed the M.26. It was a wooden, single-seat, single-bay biplane armed with two fixed, forward-firing 7.7-millimeter (0.303-inch) Vickers machine guns. It had plywood and fabric skinning, and its wings were of equal span and unstaggered. The M.26's engine, a 221-kilowatt (296-brake horsepower) Hispano-Suiza HS 42 V8 driving a pusher propeller, was mounted on struts above the hull and below the upper wing. For an aircraft of its type, its aerodynamic design was very clean.

The M.26 was completed in 1924 and made its first flight that year, demonstrating good performance. Macchi built two prototypes, but the Regia Marina opted to save money by re-engining the Macchi M.7ter to extend its service life rather than purchase a new aircraft, and Macchi received no production orders for the M.26. However, a few years later Macchi based the design of its M.41 fighter on that of the M.26.

M26

M26, M-26, or M.26 may refer to:

Ivchenko AI-26

The Ivchenko AI-26 is a seven-cylinder air-cooled radial engine used in early Russian helicopters and later used in light utility aircraft.

Design and development

The AI-26 engine was designed by A.G Ivchenko in 1945 with the early designation M-26, later the designation was changed to AI-26. Like the Shvetsov ASh-21 which is basically one bank of cylinders from the Shvetsov ASh-82, the AI-26 was also influenced by the ASh-82. The AI-26 retained the bore, stroke and displacement of the ASh-21 while incorporating new features peculiar to its role. This similarity allowed the AI-26 to use the same production jigs as the ASh-21 and ASh-82 which reduced costs and simplified production. The engine was envisioned as a helicopter engine, but the early test models lacked the necessary equipment to facilitate this role, such as an auxiliary cooling fan, reduction gears and clutch. The GR suffix means "Gelikopter", or helicopter. Engine testing was completed by early 1946 and by 1947 helicopter testing had begun. In late 1947 the decision to mass-produce the engine was made and production commenced at factory No.478 located in Zaporizhia. Between 1947 and the 1970s some 1,300 AI-26GR's were produced. The AI-26V model was also produced in Poland during the 1960s as the LiT-3 and later as the PZL-3S.

M-26 (Michigan highway)

M-26 is a 96.355-mile-long (155.068 km) state trunkline highway in the U.S. state of Michigan, running from two miles (3.2 km) east of Rockland to its junction with US Highway 41 (US 41) in Copper Harbor. It generally runs southwest-to-northeast in the western half or Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The northernmost segment, which closely parallels the shore of Lake Superior on the west side of the Keweenaw Peninsula, is highly scenic.

M-26 previously reached the Wisconsin border, but a section of the highway became US 45. Other changes on the northern end of M-26 incorporated highways that were previously numbered M-111 and M-206 in the Eagle Harbor and Eagle River area.

Route description

Southern terminus to Houghton

M-26 starts at an intersection with US 45 east of Rockland in Michigan's Ontonagon County. From there it runs through the town of Mass City to the junction with M-38 east of Greenland. The two highways join for a short distance before M-26 separates turning northeast to Winona across the Houghton County line. In Twin Lakes M-26 passes the shores of the namesake lakes and Twin Lakes State Park. M-26 passes through wooded, hilly terrain in western Houghton County. The segment of roadway in South Range was recently realigned to smooth out curves in the roadway. From there north, M-26 runs generally downhill on approaching the western business district of Houghton and the Portage Lake Lift Bridge from the west.