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The Macchi M.C. 72 was an experimental seaplane designed and built by the Italian aircraft company Macchi Aeronautica. In 1933 and 1934 it set a world record for speed over water.

The Macchi M.C. 72 was one of a series of seaplanes developed by Macchi Aeronautica. An earlier model, the Macchi M.24 was a twin engine flying boat armed with machine guns and capable of carrying a torpedo. Later in the 1920s, Macchi focused on speed and on winning the Schneider Trophy. In 1922 the company hired aircraft designer Mario Castoldi to design fast planes. In 1926, the company won the trophy with the Macchi M.39 which attained a top speed of 246 mph (about 394 km/h). Further planes (the M.52, M.52R, and the M.67) were designed and built but victory in the Schneider races kept eluding the Italians. Castoldi then designed the ultimate racing seaplane, the M.C. 72, a single seater plane with two floats. It was built in 1931 with the idea of competing for what turned out to be the final Schneider Trophy race but, due to engine problems, the plane was unable to compete.

Instead of halting development, Macchi continued work on the M.C. 72. Benito Mussolini personally took an interest^[1] in seeing development of the M.C. 72 continue and directed state funds to the company. For two years the plane suffered from many mechanical defects as well as the loss of two test pilots who died trying to coax world class speed out of the M.C. 72 (first Monti and then Bellini). The final design of M.C. 72 used a double, counter-rotating fixed-pitch propeller powered by a modified Fiat AS-6 engine generating some 2500 to 3000 horse power (thanks to supercharging).

The plane finally lived up to expectations when it set a new world speed record (over water) on April 10, 1933 with a speed of 682 km/h (424 mph). It was piloted by Francesco Agello (the last qualified test pilot). Not satisfied, development continued as the plane's creators thought they could break 700 km/h with the M.C. 72. This feat was in fact achieved on October 23, 1934 when Agello piloted the plane for an average speed of 709 km/h over three passes (440 mph). This record remains (as of 2006) the fastest speed ever attained by a piston engine seaplane. After this success, the M.C.72 was never flown again.

The M.C.72 held the world speed record for all planes for five years. For comparison, the record holder for a land-based plane was held (for a time) by the Hughes H-1 Racer with a top speed of only 566 km/h (352 mph). Then in 1939 two German planes passed the M.C.72. The first plane was a Heinkel He 100 which reached the speed of 746 km/h (464 mph). The second plane was a Messerschmitt Me 209 which set the new world speed record of 756 km/h (470 mph) in August - just days before the start of World War II. The current world speed record for a piston-engine plane is 850 km/h (528 mph) set by a heavily modified American F8F Bearcat named Rare Bear in 1989.

• The Miyazaki film Porco Rosso, while clearly not historical, seems inspired by Italian seaplanes and pilots of this time period.

• Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation (1989), page 618 and 796.
• Gregory Alegi on the MC 72
• The seaplane speed record of Francesco Agello
• Italian web page on the M.C. 72

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