The 1934 World Speed Record of the Aeronautica Macchi M.C. 72

Originally conceived to race at the 1931 Schneider Trophy, the most famous international seaplane competition between 1920s and early 1930s, the Aeronautica Macchi M.C.72 missed that event due to development issues but entered in the history of aviation in 1934, when the pilot Francesco Agello flown it up to 709.209 km/h, achieving the absolute world speed record. A performance which nowadays remains still unbeaten for piston-engine seaplanes. The M.C.72 represented the pinnacle of advanced aeronautical technology of its time as well as the synthesis of years of studies and experimental tests carried out in many fields of engineering, which resulted in a particular airframe specifically designed around an uncommon and never seen before engine made by FIAT. The paper describes the historical context and the technical features of the M.C.72 and its FIAT AS6 engine, which led to the international award Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark assigned by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in 2023.