Photography by Jan Morgan
Just Call It the Flying Ferrari
October 1, 2003
The Italians have long been known to blend form, function, and emotion into nearly everything that they manufacture. The style, passion, and romance exemplified by the country’s automotive manufacturers extend to their aircraft industry as well. Often called a flying Ferrari, the Siai Marchetti SF260 offers a unique combination of beauty, high cruise speed, acrobatic capability, and superlative flying qualities.
Designed by engineer Stelio Frati, the three-passenger SF260 was first flown in 1964. This classic design, powered by a 260-hp Lycoming 540-cu-in 6-cylinder engine, has been adopted for military flight training and tactical support by more than 20 countries. Still in production nearly 40 years after its first flight, the SF260 remains a preferred military primary training aircraft and maintains a reputation as one of the finest handling aircraft ever built.
Rare and not commonly seen on the ramps of our local airdromes, civilian models of the SF260A through D are highly prized by their owners. Adding to this small fleet are a few converted ex-military SF260W models (W for Warrior) that migrated to the United States after they were rotated out of service and snapped up by performance-starved American pilots with bad cases of warbird fever.
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The SF260TP (turboprop), featuring a more powerful 350-hp, American-built Allison 250-17D turbine engine, was introduced in 1983. Utilizing the classic SF260 airframe, this two-seat version affords flight trainees experience in the management of the turbine engines used in most military aircraft. Built strictly for military customers, very few of these kerosene burners are in private hands. (Click image to enlarge)
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