Biplane fighter aircraft, single engine, single seat.

The SPAD VII fighter (Societé pour les Avions Deperdussin), destined to become one of the most famous aircraft of the First World War, was created to use the 140 hp “Hispano-Suiza” engine., an “8-cylinder V engine”.

It was a biplane with a wooden, fabric-covered truss fuselage. The armament consisted of a synchronised machine gun.

The SPAD VII reached a maximum speed of 212 km/h at an altitude of 2,000 metres and proved to be stable and controllable in a dive up to 400 km/h.

In Italy, the first SPAD VIIs arrived in March 1917 and were assigned to the prestigious 91st Squadron, nicknamed the “Squadron of Aces” due to the large number of famous pilots who belonged to it, such as Baracca, Ruffo di Calabria, Ranza, Novelli, and Parvis. It was employed as a fighter during the war.

The MUSAM in Vigna di Valle (Rome) displays two examples.