General Information

The SF-260 is one of the world’s most revered military trainers, with some 880 aircraft in service and 27 military customers worldwide. It was, and still is, marketed as a civil aerobatic plane. Stelio Frati (the F in SF-260) designed this airplane in the early 60s for Aviamilano, which was later purchased by SIAI Marchetti (the S in SF-260). It is powered by a 260 hp 6-cyl Lycoming engine (denoted by… yeah, right, the 260 in the name…).

Features

The Turbo Marchetti is a rocket ship! The power of the SPT5 in this airplane is unbelievable, so a high visibility scheme is a must. Towing gliders up to 25 kg with this amount of power is an incredible experience...

There is no difference in flying characteristics if you look at the 260 TP version:

• It looks like a great sport flyer with sufficient wing area, tricycle gear, and a large cowling for a wide variety of engines. The wingtip tanks make it look even “sexy”.
• Due to the retractable landing gear, it is a very clean-looking and flying plane, but the gear itself is set up very simply, making it a great first experience with large scale retracts
• air foil, control surfaces, leverage,s and general configuration as a low-wing sport plane, making it a great aerobatic trainer as well. A perfect sight within the uniformity of Extras, Yaks, and Edges, doing almost everything these modern Aerobats would do in classic routines.
• Even for glider towing, this airplane is perfectly suitable. With a powerful engine, it pulls gliders up to 25 kg safely to altitude, and the towing pilot can have some serious fun making his way down to the ground for the next one waiting in line.
• Just by the look,s the SF-260 already represents a slick, fast airplane. Almost Jet-like, it can be flown through its paces, with an extremely wide range between top speed and stall speed. CARF picked the right airfoil for the task, that’s for sure.
• Last but not least, there are plenty of colorful military and civilian schemes available, so there will be something for everyone's taste. It also wouldn’t look bad in a Fantasy Scheme, too.
• newest update: a removable fin for easier transportation, the rudder is placed in the removable fin

Fuselage

The wide fuselage is made entirely in a sandwich construction to keep it light and stiff. The carbon-reinforced engine dome provides a secure hold for single- and twin-cylinder engines, 2- and 4-stroke, as well as the nose gear unit. Under the wide and strong two-part cowling is plenty of room. The large canopy is removable, installs readily with hooks and canopy latches, and can be built as a sliding canopy with minimal individual effort. A simple, vacuum-formed cockpit tub with seats and a dashboard is also included in the kit to cover the large opening.

Wings

The wings feature a new airfoil design for a wide speed range. Ultra strong, do they slide on a 40 mm aluminum tube? The carbon-fiber-reinforced main gear mount transfers the landing forces directly to the wing tube and the fuselage. Ailerons and flaps are elastically hinged; the flap slot is covered with a rounded lip, making it look really good. The characteristic tip tanks are mounted on a 20 mm aluminum tube and are removable.

Tail

Rudder and elevator are hinged in the classic CARF method on 4mm hinge tubes in phenolic posts. All is pre-installed and ready to use. Control horns are also glued in. The fin has been removable since the end of 2025, making transportation easier. The two stab halves are removable. Servo mounts are installed in the stab and fin, ready to drop any good, medium torque servos in.

Retract

From experience with other airplanes, we could always rely on the Behotec C-50 retract units. So, we used them for the Marchetti as well. Airtech Germany is supplying trailing link struts with the correct angles and a Behotec nose strut, which we already use in the Tutor and Tucano. Conveniently, the nose gear unit mounts against the firewall, and the steering servo is directly attached to the strut. The set is completed with lightweight Dubro wheels.

Turbo Prop Engine

The wide fuselage is made entirely in a sandwich construction to keep it light and stiff. The CARF Models SIAI Turbo Marchetti is designed to suit the JetCat SPT-5 Turboprop. This engine performs really well and suits the plane perfectly. A specially designed engine mount box from Carbon Fiber makes it easy to install the engines accurately and operate them safely. CARF Models has done extensive research and teamed up with JetCat to really build this airplane around these proven engines.

Additionally ,a new, 140mm longer cowling was designed. JetCat has designed a special bottom exhaust outlet for their SPT5 to fit the Turbo Marchetti perfectly. And CARF-Models designed the matching bifurcated exhaust pipe for it.

Spinner, Exhaust-System, and Propeller are available as accessories.

Accessories

For our Siai Marchetti SF-260, we offer a wide range of accessories. These include the electric retractable landing gear, fuel tanks, DA Engines, and Lighting SET. In addition, we offer high-quality MacGregor servos in combination with our very own CARF-Models servo arms – perfectly matched to the model and the demands of a high-performance scale prop plane.

Color Schemes

Like all our airplanes, the Siai Marchetti SF-260 is no different. They boast meticulously applied PU paintwork, expertly executed in the molds. Explore a gallery of our stunning paint schemes in our shop, showcasing past projects, some crafted to match unique customer requests. If you're seeking a personalized touch, we offer color swaps and fully custom designs developed through collaboration between you and our skilled artists. Below are our Standard Schemes and a few standout examples:

Flying Characteristics

Rarely will you find a scale airplane with a more versatile flying performance than an SIA Marchetti SF-260. There's something to it which is so hard to describe. It starts with engine choice. Enjoy the fantastic aerodynamic features with a puffy 100 cc four-stroke twin, moving the plane around in a dynamic scale manner. Or install a 120 cc two-stroke and rock it around like no other. It will take it all. And you will have a big grin on your face the entire flight. Last, install a turboprop and be the star of every show. Either way. ​ Slow circles with full flaps or high-speed flybys... you name it. Loops, rolls, inverted flight. Even snaps, spins, and pop tops will take with ease. Or aero-tow giant gliders into the sky. One cannot put this plane in a single category. It's just doing everything perfectly well, in its own distinctive way. Enjoyably, from the first to the last minute. And the ground handling, well, with the tricycle gear, we won't even have to talk about it.

Conclusion

So, there was no way past doing this airplane one day as a Turboprop version as well. 

It is just another example of great CARF engineering, showing its qualities right at the first fly-by. Its structural integrity, high prefabrication, detailed surface structure, and straightforward mechanical solutions make it a pleasure to build, fly, and pose with at your local club field, as well as at a highly decorated show event.