Fratelli Pascale Story: from the 30s onward - Tecnam.com

Fratelli Pascale Story: from the 30s onward 

GIOVANNI PASCALE 

September 1971 

I will try to tell: 

(We were in the 30s) 

I was ten years old and Gino a little bit more than eleven; we lived in our house in Benevento, a little provincial 

town. Our room was at the second floor; the balconies faced a terrace from where we continuously launched little 

paper airplanes that gliding landed on the roofs underneath. 

We built these miniatures with sheets of paper and competing with each other, we tried to make them going always 

further. 

We were two kids animated by a great passion for the flying machines: the paper miniatures were the first expression 

of this big interest that inevitably would bring us to the model aircraft construction. The occasion arrived one day, 

during our high schools classes of the Liceo Giannone, where a little magazine called L’Aquilone, started to go 

round, and from where we took the address of the Movo in Milan, supplier of assembling boxes and equipment for 

model aircrafts. We immediately wrote to the Movo and in a few days we received the catalogue, from where we 

chose the elastic and tube M5 model. 

Once we finished the scholastic year, we left for the country, Faicchio, without having received the so desired 

package. Nevertheless we spent our time preparing a little lab obtained from a little room that we personally cleared 

and cleaned. We obviously missed the tools that we managed to find a few days later. As a matter of fact, I decided 

to go with my father when he had to go for work in Benevento. I succeeded in convincing him and together we went 

in a hardware shop were we bought all the tools. Finally we had our first small saw, our first lath, and our drill. 

During those days we met a guy from Fontanavecchia, outlying of Faicchio, who was also passionate for model 

aircraft construction. His name was Mario Brioli. He helped us a lot with the creation of our first model that finally 

arrived by mail. We brought immediately the bulky parcel in the lab, we opened it but unfortunately we noticed that 

the central tube was broken. We wrote immediately about the incident to the Movo that kindly and with great 

dispatch sent us another tube. 

Thus we started to assemble the wing following precisely the Movo’s instructions and with Mario’s we succeeded in 

completing the model that shortly was ready to fly. 

Unfortunately this first new model couldn’t fly because of the breaking of the elastic hank that shattered the fuselage. 

Disenchanted but not tamed, we started to make plans for the future. Schools were about to reopen and in fact we 

moved with all the family again to Benevento. We continued to read the Aquilone and I remember perfectly well the 

great expectation that we had every time we picked up the new issue to the newsstand. Thanks to this magazine we 

were informed of everything that happened in the field of the model aircraft constructions, as well as in the 

aeronautical one. And that was very important for us since we were always seeking for information. 

In the mean time we decided to build our second flying model, always choosing from the Movo catalogue, whose 

name was M8, which we built very quickly. Schools started and all these activities were hidden from my father who 

was very serious about our studies. We took the habit to work late at night. In fact as soon as our parents went out, 

Gino and I jumped out of bed to work till late to the M8 structure and to the upholstery. 

This model has been the first that we built that flew, not aware that this passion, always stronger would have taken us 

that far. Willing to go always further it was obvious that we couldn’t be pleased with building models designed by 

others. In fact we decided to project our first model aircraft, that we called LPL1 that is Luigi Pascale Langer 1. We 

called it this way because it was Gino’s project and we added Langer, the last name of my uncle Paolo, Mum’s 

brother, who had a strong influence on us on our bent for mechanics. 

Also this model was soon realized, this time by buying only the materials, lists glue, paper, elastic hank that we 

usually bought from the Movo. The day of the test arrived, and we decided to do it at night in the Roma Square. 

The night was calm, the square was almost deserted, and it was 11 p.m. We left home with the model already built. 

The wingspan was 1.30 mt long. After some glide’s test for the balancing, we started to charge the spring with the 

drill. In the mean time there was a little crowd of curious that attended the preparations. Once the charge ended, we 

put the model on the ground and left it with a lot of anxiety: the flight was perfect; the model did two rounds of the 

large square performing an excellent landing. All the viewers were enthusiastic, and from the balconies people were 

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screaming: “bravo, beautiful!” Gino and I were so excited, everyone asked us for a second flight. We launched the 

model that redid exactly the previous flight landing perfectly in an area where there were some people. Here came an 

unexpected event: one of the group, perhaps drunk, came close to the model and kicked it, breaking the wings in two 

pieces. We immediately run after him and with us all the furious onlookers that absolutely wanted to teach him a 

lesson. The din ended and Gino and I came back home to verify the damages and to start the reparations. 

That night we couldn’t sleep, the accident shocked us. The thing that mostly made us anxious was the conviction that 

inside us there was the chance to design flying models. The path to follow started to emerge and a strong will to 

succeed would have led us in a few years to the creation of the first tourism aircraft. All these activities made us 

neglecting school; this is why my father decided the suspension of our work limiting it only to the designing side. 

Ideas, ideas were continuously debated between Gino and I, always trying to make plans for the vacation period that 

unfortunately never seemed to arrive. As it was for sight, both of us were sit in October. I went with my father to 

Faicchio while Gino went to Naples to visit my uncle Paolo. Gino could continue the activity with the help of my 

uncle Paolo and so they built together two marvelous models AP7 and AP8. At that time my uncle leaved in Via 

Medina. They tried the AP7 late in the night and beside this a huge crowd of curious came to assist at the flight, 

which unfortunately ended against the tram’s cables. 

The AP8 was a gorgeous model with two fuselages with a very complex construction. As a matter of fact it was 

published on the Aquilone of March 1939. 

Returning to Benevento we learned from our magazine the existence of the R.U.N.A. (Reale Unione Nazionale 

Aeronautica, Royal National Aeronautic Association) and we immediately tried to get in touch with the Benevento 

division that did not exist for real. Together with Gino, we went to the Benevento’ delegate house, an aeronautic 

former officer who was quite happy to give us all the documents so that we could try to start up the Benevento’s 

division. We needed to create a school for aircraft model enthusiasts in order to start this sport activity, which was 

very intense in other Italian cities. 

Schools had begun; we were at the beginning of the year 1938. The catastrophe that was about to strike Europe was 

approaching. My father, an army officer, was called to arms and a few months later he left with his battalion for 

Tripolitania. 

Every aircraft model enthusiast has once in his life the dream to build a plane to fly; this was also our secret hope. 

The Aquilone in its pages dedicated to flight, kept us updated about all the constructions, competitions and successes 

of our gliding. Thus we came to know that a young aircraft model enthusiast from Milan, named Della Torre, had 

built successfully a little glider called S. Ambrogio. 

Pushed by enthusiasm and by an aeronautical unconsciousness we decided to start the drawings for the construction 

of our own glider. As always, a strict will sustained us. We had many problems but all of them were solved in a 

couple of months. We modified many times the constructions plans with discussions and quarrels between Gino and 

me on how to realize the structure. At the end, the project, if we could call it so, was completed. 

In Benevento we did not have a place available so we had to postpone the start up of the construction when we 

moved to Faicchio. In the mean time we tried to supply with the necessary materials. We went to a big sawmill to 

choose the wood for the ribs, the spars, and the fuselage. 

It was a crazy task. I was thirteen years old and Gino not yet fifteen. I remember that the problem with the glue was 

almost insurmountable; we couldn’t find the necessary casein to glue the wood. We finally succeeded in having the 

address of the firm Hydra, that supplied the aeronautics and shortly we had several kilos of casein glue. We bought 

brass nails, we prepared some assembling surfaces for the ribs and finally everything was ready to start the 

constructions. 

In our family, everyone considered our project a foolish task. My mother tried to dissuade us, worried for the volume 

of the supplying and for the confusion that we used to do at home. Anyhow Mum and grandfather Luigi, always very 

generous with us, helped us economically. 

We started the construction in Faicchio. The first thing was to build some wood stands that were used as a small 

ladder. We emptied completely the room in the basement and there the day after we built the wing ribs and all the 

frames of the fuselage. 

The wing had a rectangular shape with a central spar that we built outside in the terrace because of its length. 

Initially incredulous, grandfather Luigi often came to visit us in our lab. Then astonished, and at last amazed and 

worried, I remember him going away shaking his head. 

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In one-month time the fuselage was done and the lab was so stuffed not to allow the last works. Therefore we 

thought to lift it putting on the wall two pulley gaffs. We lifted the fuselage with two ropes emptying in this way the 

lab room. We put inside the cockpit a temporary seat to be able to sit on it. 

We could not assemble the 8 meters wing in the lab. We had to move on the upper floor in the living room that we 

proceeded to empty. Overcoming all these problems at home was not so easy. In the family the endurance increased 

always more, worried with the future developments. Our will was so strong that nothing could stop us. 

My grandfather was so worried that he invited a friend, an Air Force Major, whose name was Marocchelli to show 

him our construction and to be reassured that we could not complete our task. At that time in the family they all 

hoped that this project would never be achieved. The Major was astonished and willing to cooperate at the 

construction of the glider. He provided us the pulleys and many others useful things for the construction. 

At night we worked until late trying not to make too much noise. One night I remember that after going in our 

bedroom, we heard a huge crash. We understood that something had happened in the lab; we threw ourselves down 

the stairs and found the ropes broken and the fuselage on the floor. The lifting system did not work properly and the 

fuselage had fallen from three meters high. 

The damages were minors and quickly repaired: we had to replace the skid and repair some frames. Time flied and 

the holidays were almost over. How could we keep doing our construction? 

The day of the departure arrived. Schools were starting within a few days. Gino and I would have never left from 

Faicchio without our glider. In fact, after a few days from our departure, a big cart carrying our glider was following 

us to Benevento. Our grandfather couldn’t say no and paid the transportation making us happy. At that point we had 

another big problem to solve: finding a place to store the glider to be able to finish the construction. On this matter, 

Mum helped us thanks to her acquaintances; she obtained from the municipality a place in an old abandoned church. 

Unfortunately this situation wasn’t very convenient; the place was cold, dirty and full of many other things. We had 

to stop the works and the serious events that followed ruined our dream. The war was there. The destiny of our glider 

was decided. The church that housed it was bombed and completely destroyed and we lost everything. We decided 

therefore to restart the activity of model aircraft construction. Many friends that we used to neglect, where interested 

in this activity. The time was ready to found a real school based on what was done in other cities. The organization 

being complex, we decided to go to the GIL (Gioventù Italiana del Littorio. Italian Littoral Youth) to have the 

necessary premises and funds. Naturally our activity awaked a lot of interest and rapidly the school was founded with 

large rooms, tools and lots of materials. Subscriptions were very numerous. Gino was appointed Representative for 

the Model Aircraft Construction and shortly the school started to operate. The help received from the GIL was 

decisive, with money supply everything was easier and what we requested was available rapidly. I was often going to 

Rome for the supplying of the material that we bought at the Aeropiccola. 

On April the 26th 1942, we participated to the first competition of gliders that took place in Naples on the Camaldoli 

hill where we got a considerable success ranking in the first two places. This positive achievement relaunched the 

aircraft model construction group within the GIL that was further developed. Afterwards we also organized an 

exhibition: a success not only for the experts but extended to all the citizens. Exploiting our favorable moment we 

asked to the GIL a piston engine for aircrafts models KRATMO 10. 

This 10-cylinder engine produced in Germany was the best that the market could offer and cost the enormous sum 

for that time of 800 liras. Therefore we designed and built our first model with a piston engine that was modified and 

improved in various models allowed us to win many national competitions. For the flight trial we went to the 

aviation field of Benevento located a few kilometers from the city. On that same airport the Macchi C 200 were 

tested and repaired by the Samnite Air Force, big aeronautical works in Benevento. I remember that we were doing 

some trials with our engine model, the Ing. Pozzi (manager of the company) approached us, really interested in our 

construction. Together with him we did some nice launches with flights of a few minutes. This fortunate combination 

helped us a lot to increase the aircraft model construction school. In fact thanks to the Ing. Pozzi we were authorized 

to ask to the Samnite Air Force everything that could help our construction. We could count on all the necessary 

material to organize a real aircraft model construction school that shortly increased the number of participants. The 

logical consequence of all these activities was the participation of the next VIII Flying Models National Competition, 

taking place in Asiago with the participation of all the National Aircraft Model Construction Schools. The 

preparation of the team was not an easy job; however after an intense work everything was ready. 

The GIL provided everything from the overalls to the travel tickets till a little sum for the current expenses. 

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The team was made of 6 persons including Gino and me. I remember exactly the last names of my team. There were 

Del Prete, Stefanelli, Fallarino and Sessa. The last one, the only who still is with us after many years. Finally on the 

30th of August we left for Asiago in train with all our models well packed. We arrived in Vicenza late at night. The 

train for Asiago was leaving the next morning and so we were obliged to stop at the station the whole night. 

Hundreds of aircraft model construction enthusiast arrived shortly all heading to Asiago. In a few hours the whole 

station was crowded with aircraft model construction enthusiast waiting for the departure of rack railways trains to 

Asiago. Finally, the train was ready and occupied by all of us full of luggage, packages, back packs, boxes, in other 

words a train made of flying models that strove at full speed. 

We reached Asiago in a few hours where on a superb green lawn was ready the RUNA field, paradise for the fan like 

us. Asiago is a big plain with many nice little hills here and there and far off other higher peaks that surround them. 

The next day, at our launch’s turn, we were very unlucky: the model after a considerable climb, took decidedly the 

direction of the village fully pointing the bell tower and destroying itself completely. We stayed in Asiago from the 

2nd until the 8th of September. Together with many models were flying also many gliders and with nostalgia we 

thought at our glider, at the times when sit in the cockpit we thought we could fly. The dream was only appeased …! 

We were now at the beginning of 1943. The war was approaching and the ever increasing tragic news did not leave 

any hope. My father during the advanced of English soldiers in North Africa, was taken prisoner. We did not have 

any news from him for a long time until the Red Cross told us that he was held in a Prisoner camp in India. Our 

aircraft modeling construction activity slowed down a little bit for lacking of materials and because the situation 

became everyday more serious. We succeeded in organizing a competition on the slope of the Gran Potenza between 

aircraft model enthusiasts from Benevento that held a good technical success. We left, as every year for Faicchio, not 

imagining that everything we owned in our old house of Benevento would have been destroyed. After almost a 

month in fact, Benevento was bombed, the city had been hit several times and reduced in ruins. As soon as we had 

the news, and not having other means of transport, we got on our bicycles and we left for Benevento. We covered at 

full speed 40 km longing to still find something. Unfortunately nothing, absolutely nothing was left. 

We left from Benevento around 4.00 in the afternoon, arriving to Faicchio at night. At home everyone was worried. I 

was tired and discouraged; I throw myself on the couch of the dining room and started to cry. In a few days, the 

situation worsened. The front was always closer and German and American planes continuously streaked the sky. 

A day, at the very beginning of September, Gino and I were in front of the house when the irregular roar of a plane 

that flew very low over the country, attracted us. Almost at our vertical we clearly distinguished the slim shape of a 

Messerschmdt 109 certainly in difficulties. 

In fact, few seconds later the roar stopped completely and we noticed the plane gliding heading towards the Marafi 

plain. Without hesitation we got on our bicycles and we went in the direction of Marafi, that wasn’t as close as we 

thought. After an hour of walk we climbed on a little hill and from the top we saw in the middle of the grass, intact, 

the Messerschmdt that was landed without the undercarriage. On the run we reached it, we walked round it, we 

climbed on the wing, we opened the transparent soft top and we went down on the cabin. Gino sat in the cockpit. The 

instrument panel was undamaged and the controls worked perfectly. Only the blades of the propeller were bending. 

We were enthusiasts when the shouting of the farmer, landowner, brought us backs to reality. As soon as he reached 

us and recognized us he calmed down immediately. The poor man was rightly worried about the retaliations that 

Germans could have made to anyone who had damaged the plane. Then we reached in agreement: if in two days no 

one would have claimed the plane we would be free to have it. No one came and once we got the tools we started to 

dismantle the plane. Everything on board was for us of big interest: we started from the instrument panel, then the 

controls, the bearings and at last we unnailed also the sheets. This work lasted various days, at the end for the 

difficulties in disassembling pieces of the engine due to the lack of special spanners, following the advice of our 

friend Arnaldo, expert in arms and explosives, we decided to blow up with the dynamite the engine carter. It had 

been a crazy decision that almost turned into a catastrophe. We put into the propeller shaft that in the Messerschmdt 

was also a light cannon, two pieces of dynamites closing up with soil and stones and we sparked off. The shaft didn’t 

cave in, instead a stone’s cannon shot and soil went off, and with enormous uproar reached some farmers that were 

working not far. Fortunately no one was hit, but we had to quickly abandon the area to avoid the reaction of the 

fierce farmers. 

All the material recovered was transported home with the help of some friends, I remember that one night when we 

were going back home with the material, we met along the road a farmer on horseback who told us with 

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apprehension that a little bit up in the bush the Germans were encamped. This news worried us and we decided to 

hide the material in a near grove. We didn’t meet anyone, but it was necessary to be careful in such a terrible period. 

All that we disassembled was safe at home. That material was important for us, not having given up our old project 

but just postponed it. 

As the days went by, the activity of the US aviation was more and more intense. A whole fighting formation of 

Fortezze Volanti (Flying Fortresses) above us met in battle with Germans plane. We witnessed astonished to this 

horrible scene that briefly ended with the fall of a four-engine aircraft Liberator. I remember the aircraft that bended 

over and then fell on the ground with an enormous blaze. Various parachutes came down slowly. 

Naturally, also this time we left immediately towards the scene of the impact, leaded by that sinister plume of smoke, 

which seamed close but in reality, was very far. After some kilometers we left our bicycles to follow a narrow path 

almost impracticable. Luckily we met a farmer that proposed to accompany us and together we set out again. After 

almost an hour we arrived to the river Calore, large in that point 30 meters. After some hesitations we jumped into 

the water and reached the shore. On a little hill in front we could still see the smoke of the plane that was burning. 

We reached it and we witnessed a scene that I will never forget. There were bullets unexploded almost everywhere, 

one of the engine that detached from the wing fell on a house destroying it completely. In the middle of the smoking 

remains of the plane, there were on the floor two bodies that were still burning, giving out a terrible smell that made 

the air stink. Amongst the members of the crew, six saved them with the parachute and were taken by the Italian’s 

paramilitary police. A huge bomb unexploded laid on the ground in the middle of twisted sheets scattered all over. 

We didn’t stay long; we were so shocked and astonished by that horrible sight of violence and death. We just took 

with us an aluminum alloy sheet on which was printed the name ALCOA (Aluminum Company of America), famous 

American company that produced light sheets for aviation, that years later would have also been our supplier. 

Redoing backwards our way we crossed the river Calore almost at dusk, arriving home very late. They were all 

worried about us, waiting to have a dinner that we didn’t eat. Exhausted we went to bed with thousands of thoughts. 

The storm was at the door, the roar of the cannon was always closer, and the Germans retreating occupied our house 

that became seat of the headquarters and front-line hospital. One night after the hundredth bombing we all fled to the 

mountains under a gunfire that lasted several days non-stop. We found together with many other farmers shelter 

inside some caves in the mountains. One night, while the gunfire continued, a breathless young shepherd arrived and 

with a troubled look told us that not far from us an American weapon pit of mortars had been fully hit by Germans 

batteries. Passing by he heard some moans, someone was still alive even if seriously wounded. We decided 

immediately to go and check and taking advantage of a pause of the fire Gino, two other young, and me together 

with the shepherd, rushed down the slope. Besides the imminent darkness we finally arrived on a little clearing. The 

terrible scene that we saw that night remained engraved in my mind. The weapon pit had been fully hit, around the 

mortar where were the lifeless bodies of the soldiers. We shaked one by one the bodies hoping to still find someone 

alive and in fact we heard a moan. It was impossible to carry him without a stretcher and so we came back to the 

grotto where we found amongst the refugee a rung ladder that we used as a stretcher. We came back in a hurry on the 

spot and with a big effort we carried the wounded to our refuge. Some days after the marching through the front, the 

American Red Cross came to pick him up and he was safe. 

Finally the Americans occupied the weapon pit. We climbed down the mountains while fallen men here and there 

covered the land. A never-ending sadness took me; everything seemed to me so inconceivable. A death soldier, sat, 

leaned against a small stonewall. It seemed as he was sleeping with his helmet still on his head. We finally arrived at 

home; various cannon shots had hit the first floor destroying everything. In front of the house an airplane’s bomb had 

dug an enormous hole many meters deep. A few days later our house had been occupied by the US command and 

the majority of the rooms were requisitioned. Anyhow we could finally eat something after months of suffering. We 

spent all the winter in town, staying all around the fire trying to heat ourselves as we could. One day with Gino while 

we were in front of the house, we noticed two people that with difficulty were dragging along a German BMW 

motorcycle. The nice two cylinders motorcycle had en engine failure. The two guys wanted to sell it but 

unfortunately we did not have money. We managed to equally exchange it for a Star gun of my father, with which 

some time we used to target practice. We finally had something to do … We disassembled it completely, discovered 

the failure and we repaired it. We also varnished it. We got our first motorbike. In a few days we learned how to 

drive it, driving around all the nearby villages. The Americans offered us plenty of gasoline and oil so we did not 

have any problem of fuel consumption. 

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After a while having knew that at Cerreto Sannita some acquaintances had an almost new German DKW motorbike 

that they couldn’t make it work, we got in touch and organized the exchange with the BMW at face value. The DKW 

with two-stroke engine of 350 cc was really a jewel. We started working briskly and discovered the pleasure of the 

coil ignition circuit. Also this motorbike was completely repainted from the military green to a nice bright red. I 

remember that to dilute the painting we went by bicycle to the nearby towns looking for acetone. We found the one 

for ladies nails. The DKW was very fast and equipped with a speed indicator. I remember that Gino and I tried for 

the first time 120 km/hour though the roads were not paved. 

Unfortunately it did not last long. One day coming back from Benevento, the English police confiscated us the 

motorbike that was obviously illegal. It belonged in fact to the German army and was without any plate or 

documents. 

In spring we moved to Naples were we started again our modeling construction within the GAN (Gruppo 

Aeromodellisti Napoletani, Neapolitan Aero model designer Group). We participated to various races, some 

nationals, placing us often to the first places. In that period we met the best Neapolitan aircraft model enthusiast with 

whom we became friends. Gagliotta, Canestrelli, Buonomo were the most successful in the group. It will be with 

their help that we realized our big exploit. 

Amongst the most important races I remember the Concorso Nazionale Coppa Arno in Florence where we went with 

the Neapolitan team. The sacrifices and the discomfort that we had to face to participate to this competition were 

simply crazy. I remember that to do the train tickets we went out from our house at two o’ clock at night and walking 

as there were no public transports at that time, we made all the road form Via Tasso to the Central Station. In front of 

the ticket office, we were the first in line and only after some hours we could make our tickets valid for the day after. 

The trip was a disaster, standing in a crowded wagon where we barely managed to save our models from being 

destroyed. Then the race at the Peretola Airport during a magnificent morning of June. Our motorbike model with a 

KRATMO engine did three magnificent launches scoring more than fifteen minutes of flight winning the second 

place. 

In April 1948, we participated on the Pomigliano d’Arco field to an interregional race, the Vesuvio Trophy where the 

aircraft models enthusiast from Naples, Rome, Salerno and Benevento participated. With our model we wan the 

second place with two great launches. The Pomigliano field was at that time occupied by the RAF and the English let 

us use the grass for our launches. They were very kind and also gave us the use of a woodshed often giving us a jeep 

to the recovery of the models. 

By this time, times were ready to do the big step; all the presuppositions were starting to take shape. With Gino we 

talked about if often and also our dearest friends knew it. To start our exploit we were only missing that spark that 

set off our energy to come. The occasion arrived some times later in a completely unexpected and accidental way. 

The GAN had organized in fact for the beginning of May a competition on a slope on the Camaldoli hill and Gino 

and I went there to assist to it without participating meeting with pleasure many old friends especially Nicola Genua, 

a young aircraft model enthusiast from Benevento who also moved to Naples after the war. We informed him of our 

projects while we descended on foot the road that from Camaldoli leaded to XXIII Marzo. Nicola was enthusiast 

about our project to which he gave all his support confirming us the usual enthusiasm and passion. 

At this point a parenthesis was due to introduce another important element for our project. In that after war period 

Italy was dull of ARAR fields where the entire war surplus were piled up to be sold to the public at very convenient 

prices. One day Buonomo, our friends and GAN members alerted us for having perceived in the ARAR field of 

Bagnoli various continental engines 65 hp that could be bought at a low price. Immediately Gino and I ran to Bagnoli 

where we found four or five damaged engine that according to us were retrievable. We bought immediately the lot 

for fifty liras per kilo and with a truck trailer towed by a Fiat 509 spider belonging to Buonomo; we carried 

everything in our garage of Via Tasso. We disassembled all the engines choosing and cleaning accurately all the 

parts could be used. Some cylinders had been pierced with the oxy-hydrogen flame and they were completely 

useless. Others instead had undamaged canes but the heads were without finning. The problem was to unscrew the 

undamaged heads of the pierced cylinders in order to screw them on the good ones; unfortunately this operation was 

not easy because the aluminum head easily jammed on the steel cylinder. After many trials, heating the head and 

cooling the cylinder with dry ice, we managed to save the 4 cylinders. 

Another difficult problem to be solved was that someone had taken off the platinized centres from the magnetos, as 

they were valuable. While we tried to solve this problem, luck was on our side. In fact one day coming back in 

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motorbike from Faicchio while we were crossing the town of Dugenta I had a flat tire. I went to repair it in a shop at 

the exit of the town and while I was waiting for the tire to be ready I was nosing about in the shop amazed by seeing 

on the counter a magneto as ours. It was exactly what we needed; we bought cheap what for us had an incredible 

value. 

After many days of work without having any technical explanation of the engine, we finally succeeded to assembly 

one completely. We built at best an engine and applied everything thanks to four iron brackets on the wall of our 

garage in Via Tasso. We extended with some gearings the gas and magneto controls in order to go away from the 

engine. Meanwhile we also found in the ARAR field a screw propeller suitable for our engine. These findings were 

possible because the American army mainly used pipers L4 for observation and artillery fires. All the material found 

belonged in fact to these planes. 

We had never ignited an aviation engine with the so-called screw propeller thrust, operation somehow dangerous. 

We needed to learn because it was the only way to start this kind of engine lacking of the starter. The expectation 

was big; that day, in the completely emptied garage, there were some friends that had participated to the operation in 

one-way or another. At the first thrusts of the screw propeller the engine did not show any signs of life. Then a first 

bang that left all of us astonished. We finally felt the roar amongst the present’s enthusiasm and the worries and fears 

of the neighbors. In the small garage everything was flying in a whirlwind caused by the screw propeller that was 

turning at full speed. 

By now we had the engine of our plane; a gigantic step had been made on a way full of all kind of obstacles that we 

had to manage at the beginning of the construction. At that point another fact happened that caused the decisive 

incentive. We received in fact a letter from Nicola Genua, our friend that we met in Camaldoli with a cheque as his 

initial contribution to the construction of the plane. Nicola’s act moved us and united us in this big exploit for which 

he constantly helped us during two years. 

For many weeks we worked at the preparation of the executive drawing with the help of Giovanni Sessa who 

everyday was coming to work at the drawing table. Gino was dedicated to the calculations and I was taking care of 

the garage turning it at best into a shop. We built a rudimentary disk saw to cut some ledges, we bought a series of 

tools to work the wood and we set a big worktable. In those days Pio Canestrelli joined us, brave aircraft model 

enthusiast, together with another smart character Armando Perifano, and we worked in a little shop in Via Caracciolo 

to the construction of internal combustion engines for aircraft models. 

Both of them moved in the garage of Via Tasso with all the equipments, amongst which a lathe for us indispensable. 

The room was fully occupied by all this material so we had to throw down the dividing wall, which allowed us to use 

the adjoining basement at that time a deposit. 

The throwing down of the wall caused angers of my father who coming back from Faicchio found the room 

completely transformed. We had a pretty tough fight since my father did not see positively our activity worried by 

the progress of our studies. The union of Gino and me in the family was unbeatable, confident and with the straight 

will to proceed towards the designated goal. 

In a few weeks we bought all the ribs and built the first wing and the work proceeded without interruption and 

everyone cooperated very professionally. The needs of such a little shop were numerous and the funds at disposal 

very limited. Lot of continuous sacrifices was needed. Often we gave up going out at night so as to buy the necessary 

to go on with the construction. Our mean of transportation was a Lambretta 125 on which we carried also the oxygen 

bottle for the oxyacetylene welding that we went to charge in the train station. 

The iron supports of the wing were built by Rolando Passardi, son of the plant’s Responsible Mr. Magnaghi with the 

help of the technicians of his shop. To apply these parts to the spar wing we had to transport everything to Mr. 

Passardi since we did not have a column drill necessary for the drilling. I remember that the spars of nearly 4 meters 

long were transported with the Lambretta. I was driving it and a friend of ours Peppe Marengo poised on the back 

seat was holding the long but light wooden beam. At every crossroads Marengo was getting down from the 

Lambretta walking with the parts on his back also to avoid the police that would have certainly stopped us. Finally 

we started the assembling of the wing savoring the satisfaction of finally seeing our exploit realized. The structure of 

simple conception did not give us many problems instead the sticking of the plywood covering was difficult. 

In the mean time we continued the drawing of the parts. Gino completed the calculations for the dimensioning of the 

structures that should have been delivered to the RAI (Registro Aeronautico Italiano, Italian Aeronautic Registry) to 

obtain the permit for the construction and the subsequent certification. We undoubtedly under evaluated the RAI 

- 7 -


scrutiny. We had in fact to overcome many obstacles as all the material tests, the static tests ion the structure and the 

flight trials etc … 

So we submitted the regular request for supervision to the RAI office of Naples at the time managed by Ing. 

Ferdinando Bonifacio. 

To discuss on what to do we all went to the office in Via Giovanni Manna but the meeting turned out in a fight at the 

end of which we were almost chased by Ing. Bonifacio that required, according to us, ridiculous things. Obviously 

our way of thinking was not ready for such things and our passion badly supported every kind of obstacles that 

obstructed our target. Depressed we left the RAI office. That night we left our friends in Piazza della Borsa knowing 

perfectly that our exploit was becoming hard and difficult. 

Once we had finished the two wings we started the construction of the fuselage whose structure was entirely made by 

steel tubes and covered with fabric. We preferred this kind of simpler structure vs. the one in wood under evaluating 

the difficulty of the very delicate welding for that kind of material suitable to all the aeronautical constructions. We 

started the job with a welder of the Magnaghi Company given to us by Passardi. He used to come usually at night 

after work staying until late. Gino and I looking carefully how he was welding and thanks to his teaching we became 

quickly good welders being able to go on our own. 

The work proceeded well, becoming always more difficult and complex. The assembling of the wing and the 

fuselage had been particularly difficult: so that we had to build two supports to hold the wing in the correct position, 

putting the trellis fuselage in order that the predisposed joins fit together to be pierced and reamed. By this time the 

airplane took shape and the room turned out to be completely unable to contain it. Gino and I worked until late at 

night to solve all the problems that continuously arose. We couldn’t comply always with the drawings because of the 

continuous changes during the building. The flying controls were in fact rebuilt many times in between the distrust 

and the depression of many of us. In particular the aileron controls, made by a system of lever and rigid bar had been 

completely unused because of the excessive gap of all the transmission. 

These continuous technical misadventures caused in all of us serious doubts on the possibility to bring this enterprise 

to a successful conclusion, that is why sometimes someone of the group went away discouraged and for several days 

didn’t show up. Added to all these technical problems, there were also economical ones that were not always 

solvable. Fortunately in these days the RAI sent us the approval of the static calculations and this really important 

news helped us to create in all of us new strength and enthusiasm. 

Once we did the first step with the RAI, we had to face the static tests on the plane structure. Gino started right away 

to prepare all the test estimates while he was dedicated to the construction of the necessary equipment. We built in 

fact a support in steel tubes, 4 meters high to which we anchored the plane up side down so that on the wing 

underside the proof load could be fixed. The problem of how to create the load wasn’t so easy to solve. Nicola Genua 

made sew a lot of fabric bags that we filled with sand on the Coroglio beach. We carried them in stages to Via Tasso 

by a Topolino car and then we weighted them one by one accurately. On each bag we stamped the weight, dividing 

them in various lots ready to be loaded on the structure. To understand the difficulties off all these preparations we 

had to consider that all the airplane parts underwent static tests with the relevant equipment and calculation reports. 

All this lasted 8 months of continuous and exhausting work, always under the RAI supervision, whose commission 

was coming from Rome to be present to all the tests. The RAI cooperation was for us very helpful and precious. The 

Ing. Mossa and Di Giorgio came several times with other officers always accompanied by the Ing. Bonifacio form 

the RAI of Naples. 

The static test of the wing had been the most exciting, we loaded at stages more than a ton on the two wings and their 

structure sustained it with no damages, giving proof of big robustness. The Ing. Mossa congratulated Gino, the first 

static test and also the most important had succeeded; another step towards our goal. 

Motivated by this first success, we faced with energy the other tests. In a couple of months we completed the 

equipment and the tests on the empennage, ailerons, flaps, controls and fuselage. I would never be able to explain 

how hard this job was. The months went by and the airplane wasn’t finished because all our efforts were 

concentrated on the tests, whose outcome was always to be verified. Finally the program was completed; the RAI 

approved all the final reports of the tests. Giving us the go-ahead for the completion of the plane. 

At this point we had to solve the problem of the cradle. None of us was expert so we had to apply to a worker of the 

V Technical Unit of the Air Force stationed in Capodichino. His name was Tarantino and was very talented: within 

7-8 days he finished the job framing the wings, the fuselage and the empennage. 

- 8 -


By this time the airplane had taken shape and our dream was almost a reality. The final push was extremely fast. By 

now we were living only for this airplane. In fact in two months the airplane was finished, ready to be carried to the 

airport. 

In all these months of work we heard the news that some young men were building an airplane in a shop in Via 

Tasso and everybody was talking about it. Some journalists from the Roma newspaper came, and some days later on 

April 30 1950 they published a reportage on the newspaper. The airplane aroused such a great deal of interest that 

they asked to show it to the public. 

Gino and I accepted against our will, reluctant to all kind of externalism and also because all this would have caused 

a delay in the transfer of the plane to Capodichino. The transport to the exhibition at the Metropolitan Theatre was 

organized in the afternoon to avoid the traffic. The expectation was high and the entire group was in the shop for the 

last preparations since the morning. 

On Giulio Zampaglione’s car, a Balilla with 3 gears, we loaded the wing, transported in 2 times. The fuselage with 

the empennage was installed laying the tail small wheel in the trunk of Nicola Genua’s Topolino. Nicola was driving, 

Salvatore Gagliotta and I standing over the jump seats. Passardi and Marengo on two Vespe lined the way for the 

convoy. 

At a walking pace we covered Via Tasso, Via Crispi, Piazza Amedeo, Via dei Mille, arousing the interest of all the 

people we met. 

In front of the Metropolitan, amongst the crowd, we unloaded the airplane and finally we calmly assembled the wing 

inside the theatre, installing the plane in a corner of the big reception room at the entrance. 

During the 6 days of the exhibition a large crowd admired the homemade airplane. We were taking turns not to leave 

the plane unattended to avoid any kind of damages. 

In these days the movie with Anna-Maria Pierangeli “Domani è troppo tardi” (“Tomorrow is too late”) was screening 

and the actress was there for the premiere, visiting the airplane and taking place in the cockpit. They took many 

photographs that day, some of which had been published in newspapers and magazines. Luckily this parenthesis was 

quickly over. The airplane to avoid all the inconveniences of the first transportation was charged on a Magnaghi 

truck, put at our disposal by Rolando Passardi’s father and finally unloaded at the airport, were it was placed in the 

hangar of the Naples Aero Club. 

The most difficult and dangerous phase was about to start, distressing for Gino and me, at this point almost by us in 

going forward with the project. 

In a few days we placed in a flight order the P48 ASTORE. This was the name that we chose for our plane, P as our 

last name Pascale since the project was of my brother Gino, 48 the year of the project (1948), Astore bird of prey of 

high mountains. 

We started right away to try the engine and also the first taxiing to understand how the rudder bar and the breaks 

were responding. At the Aero Club we were welcomed with a lot of sympathy. The president, the colonel Marciano, 

really appreciated our machine and the vice-president Carlo De Cristoforo, director of the flight school and expert 

pilot offered himself to do some test of fast taxiing. 

We were undoubtedly surrounded by great sympathy, but there was also a lot of skepticism about this homemade 

plane. Moreover for the flight tests it was necessary to have a tester pilot and in Naples there wasn’t much to choose. 

In the mean time we continued to do taxiing tests always faster; one day the plane took off 8/10 

meters after a fast taxiing with De Cristoforo and Gino on board . Then not confident to continue the flight he 

reduced suddenly the engine’s RPM so that the plane loosing speed hit the ground yawing to the left. The 

undercarriage had serious damages. Gino and I were really upset, we didn’t have the capability to pilot the plane and 

unfortunately nobody was willing to do it. 

We happened to know that the tester pilot Stoppani, son of the great Stoppani was in Naples to test a series of L5 

overhauled by the IMAM of Capodichino. We turned to him praising to try the plane, thing that he accepted gladly. 

We thought that finally that was it and we prepared the test for the afternoon. Stoppani went on the plane; very 

quickly he raised the wheels from the ground and reduced the engine’s RPM. This time also our P48 didn’t fly. 

After almost a week we tried again with another pilot of the 4 th flight, the captain Tommasi who seemed animated by 

a great interest… He also did a fast taxiing test without leaving the ground … He told us in fact that to do the test it 

was necessary to have the authorization by the Ministry, being a military on duty. Unfortunately the authorization 

never arrived and we lost that way another month. In the mean time we enrolled to the Aero Club‘s piloting course to 

- 9 -


achieve the I° grade pilot’s license. We had the medical examination, we were fit and we started immediately the 

course with the instructor Alfeo Poli on the plane Macchi MB 308. 

Paying the pilot’s license wasn’t so easy: we didn’t have enough money and we couldn’t ask them at home. Luckily 

for us a plane Macchi of the Aero Club was damaged during the landing and we proposed to do the repairing, which 

was used to pay the license for Gino and me. As students, we were doing very well: after only 4 hours of dual 

controls we already took off by ourselves. 

The goal was to learn immediately how to fly with our P48 Astore. 

With days passing by, we became more and more impatient; we had to find by all means a solution to make the plane 

flying. One evening we met at home and we decided to go to Rome to find a pilot willing to do the test flight. We left 

in the morning Gino, Nicola Genua and I, with his “Cinquecento” car. We went to the Ministry, Direction of the 

Civil Aviation where thanks to a friend officer we could consult the rolls of the tester pilots. Among the various 

names our attention fell on one, Mario De Bernardi, famous ace of the Italian aviation, tester pilot of the first jet 

aircraft and winner of the Schneider’s Cup. 

We phoned immediately from the Ministry to De Bernardi asking him for an appointment for the afternoon. His 

kindness and his simplicity really stroke us, putting ourselves at ease in explaining him our problems. We told him 

all the vicissitudes to end the P48 construction and our great bitterness. De Bernardi had, like us, a great passion for 

the flight; he reassured us and promised to be in Naples on the following Saturday. 

Happy, we went back home thinking that perhaps that was it and that finally we would have seen our creature flying. 

Punctually that Saturday De Bernardi arrived in Naples. We went to pick him up at the station and right away to the 

airport where the plane, ready to fly was parked in front of the hangar. De Bernardi really appreciated the shape of 

the P48 and checked attentively every details of the machine. Gino explained to him all the aerodynamic and 

structural characteristics and the presumed behavior during the flight. De Bernardi sat at the piloting place; he tried 

for a long time all the controls then suddenly said: turning airscrew, we are going to fly. This moment so desired, 

happened so suddenly that it caused me a lump in the throat. All the mechanical parts, the bolts, the lever, the various 

mechanisms went fast through my mind. I would have liked to postpone uselessly. Gino had launched the propeller, 

the engine with its powerful roar was on, and I had nothing else to do than closing the door and go away while the 

plane started to taxi towards the runway. 

Gino and I started to walk almost instinctively, as if we wanted to follow it on the grass, then we stopped to hear the 

moment when at full speed it would take off. Nicola Genua was with us, also excited and still, with the look fixed at 

the end of the runway. Then the roar: the little plane started to run, after a few meters raised the little tail wheel and 

finally took off. 

It went up, and up… moved, we couldn’t hold back our tears and we all hugged, without leaving, never even for a 

second the look from our little wings far in the blue sky. Finally after 20 minutes the P48 landed on the runway (at 

the time made of grass) with a perfect landing. 

As soon as the propeller stopped we all run towards De Bernardi, who was already going out from the plane. Gino 

hugged him moved and after we had the first reports. The plane was well balanced, the controls responded perfectly, 

except for the ailerons, whose effectiveness resulted poor. The performance as well was satisfactorily: the maximum 

speed of nearly 180 km per hour was what we had expected even if the engine patched up did not give all his 65 hp. 

The first flight of the P48 Astore was on April 2 nd 1951 after more than 2 years of intense work, huge sacrifices, 

bitterness, joys and satisfactions. 

Naturally, the exploit at a turning point wasn’t over. We had in fact to obtain the Flight Certification for which all the 

flight tests required by the Regulation were needed. Moreover we had to tune up the plane, making all the necessary 

changes to the ailerons and fixing many other little things that only the flight experience could suggest. 

In that period, the prince Gianni Caracciolo Carafa was a frequent guest of the Aero Club. He had been a brave 

fighter pilot during the last war and passionate about flying. We quickly became good friends and he was very 

interested in our activity. Having seen in the hangar the P48, he asked about the flying test made by De Bernardi and 

offered himself to continue the flight tests to obtain the Flight Certification. 

The meeting with Caracciolo had been very important for us. He was a nice person, a perfect example of a classic 

noble Neapolitan, he had been very important for our activity. 

In that period in Italy and abroad a plane competition organized in Sicily and called Giro Aereo Internazionale of 

Sicily was making its name. In that year was taking place the 3 rd edition scheduled for June 8-10 (1951). The Naples 

- 10 -


Aero Club participated with 3 MB 308 piloted by Caracciolo, Piperno and De Cristoforo. Unfortunately our Astore 

wasn’t ready, so we decided with Gino to equally go to Sicily to assist to the competition. We left in fact by boat to 

Palermo, where at the Boccadifalco airport we had the incredible show of more than sixty planes lined up on the field 

waiting for the departure. English, French, Italians planes of all kinds were parked on the grass. There were Norecrin, 

Proctor Percival, the twin-engine Miles Gemini, the Aero45, Sokol, Grifo Ambrosini, Fairchild, Rian Navion, Piper, 

in short many different planes, all of them to be watched and looked at minutely with their many constructive details. 

This experience had been for us very important, from a technical and sportive point of view. We couldn’t wait to 

have the chance to participate with our Astore and soon our desire would have become true. That year the winner had 

been Guagnellini on a Rondone F4. The plane and the pilot would have been later one of our antagonists in this 

competition. So we discovered that beautiful land of Sicily and the Boccadifalco airport from where many times we 

would have taken off. 

Once back to Naples, we started immediately the work of change and set up of the plane. We extended the surfaces 

of the ailerons to make the control more powerful and we also modified the vertical stabilizer moving the rear spar 

more in the back. Unfortunately the work proceeded very slowly for the total lack of comfort and equipments, being 

guests in the Aero Club hangar. The engine also gave continuous troubles. Finally first Gino, then myself, succeeded 

in flying with Caracciolo on our Astore. Thus we felt for the first time this immense joy. For many years we had 

followed from land the flights of our models, now finally we were in the sky with them. 

By flying we could notice many needs and personally realize the different functioning. We continued this way the set 

up flights together with Caracciolo accumulating almost 100 hours of flight, minimum time requested to obtain the 

Flight Certification. 

In the mean time, we were in the spring of 1952. The plane after so many tests was finally ready. The RAI asked the 

transfer of the plane to Rome to do the homologation tests at the Urbe airport. We flew to Rome with the P48, which 

was its first transfer. We were very anxious; we had to overcome also this proof that was necessary to demonstrate 

the efficiency and security of the plane. Caracciolo agreed to pilot the plane up to Rome, but De Bernardi as official 

tester pilot would have done the homologation tests. As always De Bernardi put himself at our disposal and so we 

organized the transfer with so much anxiety and trepidation. The Naples Aero Club president put a Macchino at our 

disposal, so from Capodichino Caracciolo on the P48 and the instructor Poli with the engineer Scappin on an Mb 308 

left escorting up to Rome. 

Gino and I left in the early morning going immediately to the Urbe airport. We were walking impatiently up and 

down the grass, waiting the plane to come. I couldn’t explain the worry and the nervousness of that exhausting wait. 

It was almost one o’clock; we were all ears trying to perceive also the smallest noise, but nothing, absolutely 

nothing. Finally a far roar, barely audible, then we perceived a dot that was becoming always bigger. It flew over us 

speeding fast, doing a beautiful turn and landing right after on the landing trip. After such a tension a little bit of 

calm, we made it. 

The morning after the homologations the tests started with all the RAI staff present. De Bernardi with the officer on 

board did many flights demonstrating: all the stability and the handiness qualities of the plane, then in the afternoon, 

always piloted by De Bernardi, the P48 did all the taking off and landing tests. Gino and I and other RAI officers 

measured on the ground the distances made. At dusk the tests were not over yet so we continued the morning after, 

finishing only around noon. Everything went well. The day after Caracciolo and I went to the RAI Central Direction 

where the Ing. Simone gave us the Flight Certification. Right after with a taxi we went to the Urbe airport where we 

took off with the P48. Flying with our creature I gained more and more trust in it and in our work and our 

possibilities. 

In a little more than an hour we reached the Capodichino airport where many anxious friends were waiting for us. 

The first step of a long path was achieved; our thought was flying fast to other creations. 

Once the Astore was set up, with all the documents in order we could finally participate to sportive competition. We 

decided to enroll at the IV Giro Aereo di Sicilia that would have take place at the beginning of June. We did our 

subscription by telegraph and we received the number 10, which we painted, according to the rules, on the side of the 

fuselage and on the wings. Together with Gino, we decided that I would have accompanied Caracciolo in this first 

competition, and Gino would have made the Giro dei 7 Laghi in June 28 th at Venegono (Varese). The fuel 

consumption was very high to cover the distance. We decided to install an additional tank of 30 liters that we 

connected with a hand pump to the main tanks to do the pouring off the gasoline during the flight. We completely 

- 11 -


polished the airplane to make him look as much as possible bright and smooth; we streamlined better the air intake of 

the carburetter push the engine to the limit. In a few days everything was ready for the departure. At nine we landed 

from Capodichino heading towards Reggio Calabria. The sky was clear, the wind was calm, the little Astore was 

flying fast and secure. Every 15 minutes I pumped the gasoline in the main tank and I checked continuously the 

commands for the oil and the cylinders temperature. The engine worked well even if sometimes some sparking plugs 

failed. It was an old engine ARAR and we couldn’t pretend more. After 2 hours we landed at the Reggio Calabria 

airport on a grassy runway and this also has been a tough testing for the Astore. We ate a sandwich, we filled the 

tank with gasoline and we landed quickly to Palermo, having to be there, according to regulations before 2 o’clock at 

the Boccadifalco airport. We took off from Reggio on that terrible runway with jerks and fearful shakings and we 

headed to Sicily, crossing the Stretto during a strong turbulence. The plane reacted well, always ready to the pilot’s 

changes. After an hour and 30 minutes of flight, enchanted by the spectacular Sicilian landscape we landed at 

Boccadifalco, this time on a cement runway smooth and dressed. As soon as we parked the plane and stopped the 

propeller, many curious people came by to admire the new Italian airplane made in Naples. 

The airport was completely crowded with planes, drew up in 3 lines; a great coming and going of mechanic pilots 

were preparing the planes for the departure of the first lap planned for the next morning. The Captain Beppe 

Albanese, president of the Palermo Aero Club and animator and organizer of the race, welcomed us. We went 

together to the reception for the competitors, were we received all that we needed. Once the plane was set on the first 

line of departure we refueled the cap, we checked the oil, the sparking plugs, the other parts of the engine and we 

also did an accurate inspection of the plane. We then went to the Grand Hotel Delle Palme were we got settled 

arriving just in time for the debrief of the pilots leaving for the first lap. After all the advices and explanations about 

the route to follow we were ordered to leave and with great astonishment I discovered that we were the first to leave 

from Boccadifalco a 7.00 a.m. 

At night we had dinner in the big dining room. In our table we were sitting with the French team made up by a 

gorgeous lady and two very nice gentlemen. We became friends immediately; they were flying on a Norecrin 250. 

The lady whose name was Susanne was a pilot, she was sitting on my right hand and was speaking with great 

moderation. 

Since I was tired and tense I didn’t sleep very much. At 6.00 o’clock I was already awake, after a quick breakfast we 

took the bus for the airport where we arrived 15 minutes before the departure. The field was very animated, all the 

pilots and competitors were next to the planes to finish the operations of refueling and check. I did an inspection to 

the engine, I checked the oil and the gasoline, and I did one last polish to the windscreen, to the side of the wing and 

to the propeller. 

While I was concentrated on doing this last operation, the jeep of the race director came running announcing us the 

start for the departure. Caracciolo went up quickly on the plane while I was on the ground, preparing the propeller 

launch, two pushes back, contact, pushing and the roar of the engine that reassured me. I turned in the back of the 

strut, I went on board, and I closed the door and go the plane moved on the runway head. An aircraftman with the 

flag made a sign: quick, quick, only two minutes are missing. Caracciolo speeded up on the runway head where the 

jury was lined up. The timekeeper approached with his stopwatch and alerted us, less than 10 seconds. Time never 

ended, he raised the flag, and with his hand he did 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1, go. At full speed, the aircraft taxied fast heading 

towards Trapani. 

Once we went over Trapani we pointed to Marsala, the second check point to overfly. The aircraft was working 

properly, the air was calm and the engine’s roar was continuous and reassuring. I was helping Caracciolo for the 

route, following the direction on the navigation map and taking the time on every check point. Over flying Marsala 

we clearly recognized the white cross on the ground and then aimed on Comiso. Unfortunately we could not see the 

little airport. Thus we were forced to make two turns on the area while I constantly scanned the ground without 

seeing any recognition signal. Caracciolo decided then to go on Catania hoping that someone would have signaled 

us. Once we got over the slight slope with the engine at full speed, we came out to the sea aiming on the Fontana 

Rossa airport in Catania. We were almost a few kilometers from the arrival when the piper of Goemans overtook us 

and a few minutes later also the Rondone of Guagnellini did it. Caracciolo fully speeded with the plane slightly 

diving taking advantage from the altitude that we still had. I checked the level of the front tank: the televel marked 

almost zero so I started pumping from the extra tank to re-establish the necessary level. The engine at full speed 

burned a lot so that I was obliged to continuously check the televel of the tanks. A French plane overtook us close to 

- 12 -


the airport that we reached with a dive leading us a few meters from the ground and very close to the jury post in the 

middle of the field. A large turn took us in the runway head and we landed pointing towards that parking where other 

aircrafts were already there. The first stop went well; in fact only 4 or 5 aircrafts had landed before us. We still had to 

see if we had been identified on Comiso’s check, otherwise we would have been penalized of several minutes. We 

immediately filled up the tank, substituting completely the oil and I did a general check of the plane. Everything was 

all right and I finished the work with a general polishing: it was all ready for the next day. 

By motor coach we reached Taormina where we stayed at the Grand hotel S. Domenico and there we had the terrible 

news that the French plane Norecrin leaving from Boccadifalco hit the mountain of Bellolampo. My thought went 

immediately to the French people, our fellow guest of the day before. I hoped it did not happen to them, but 

unfortunately it was right Ciegel’s aircraft, with him Mrs. Susanne and Mr. Macrelli, all perished in the flames. I was 

pervaded by a huge sadness for the end of those friends of only one night before the departure. 

The next day, the departure was set from Catania at 15.30. We have been penalized for the missed Comiso survey, so 

we left in 12 th position, loosing precious minutes of advantage. The weather was not favorable, a strong wind 

appeared and the sky was cloudy. The departure was on time, the engine worked properly, but on the first Taormina 

control the aircraft was submitted to continuous bumps, in a scary dance, that putted strongly the aircraft and us to 

the test. Caracciolo was worried and felt an insufficient aircraft side control and unfortunately I could not do 

anything, the control cable that goes through the fuselage was alright so I reassured him and gave him the sign to 

proceed. The dance was terrible, the sea under us was very rough, I tried to prop myself up at the best to avoid 

knocking with the head against the fuselage lattis. The hell continued until Messima where fortunately, once the 

mountains passed, the wind went down and the dance was reduced. 

We proceeded the flight pointing towards Licata: I pumped petrol to re-establish the tanks levels; we sighted the 

control getting down to 50 meters high to let them identify us and we pointed towards our next post in S. Agata di 

Militello. 

Caracciolo did not think the aileron command was sufficiently efficient, he moved the control stick a few centimeters 

but the aircraft remained still. The cables of the lateral command were probably at a too low voltage, but in flight it 

was impossible to intervene. Overtaking S. Agata, we pointed at Palermo that was just a few kilometers away. Some 

aircrafts were overtaking us on the right side in sight of Mondello, last veer before Boccadifalco. Caracciolo made a 

sign to me asking what he was supposed to do as the aircraft was not turning properly. Many aircrafts came out from 

all directions; we were reaching the winning post, though we had to cover three more turns around the airport with 

much accentuated veers. Caracciolo was perplexed, I was worried, as I did not really know on what was depending 

the breakdown, so we renounced the idea of the circuit speed and we landed. I was very embittered, after having 

done so much, at the end we did not succeed in completing the route and got a good placing. 

As soon as landed, we took the P48 into the hangar of the Aero Club and started the necessary checks to repair the 

damage. The aileron cables were effectively very slow so I inspected carefully all the command circuit. In the 

fuselage everything was in order which meant that something must have happened in the right or left-hand wing. In 

the wings there were no inspection ports and so I was obliged to make a hole in the fabric level with back pulleys of 

the cables. In fact I found the left hand-wing support inclined and consequently the cables completely slackened. 

The inconvenience was due to the wood sideburn on which the pulleys support was settled and so I had to slacken 

the four bolts and insert an aluminum stiffener plate between it and the wood. I screwed the bolts with lots of 

difficulty in a really impossible position and I applied with glue two fabric patches on the holes and the damage was 

repaired: the control worked perfectly. I looked for Caracciolo to communicate him that everything was in order and 

with wonder I heard from the Aero Club engineer that he had called the Air Registration Board to make an 

inspection on the plane. I got really angry and as soon as I met him I really let loose: the aircraft was in perfect 

condition, his insufficient control was just an illusion and the RAI (Air Registration Board) was totally pointless. 

Nevertheless, it was too late; the morning after a meeting had been arranged with the Ing. Pottini from the Palermo’s 

RAI to make an inspection. 

The next morning I prepared the aircraft for the inspection and everything seemed to be in order. The problem 

solved, we left for Naples, stopping in Reggio Calabria for the usual refueling: we landed in Capodichino around six 

o’ clock in the afternoon on the 10 th of June 1952. 

By this time the Astore was accumulating many flight hours: the travel in Sicily had been an excellent testing bench 

even for the unfavorable atmospherically conditions encountered along the way. We decided then with Caracciolo to 

- 13 -


participate to the “Circuito dei 7 Laghi”, organized by the Varese Aero Club, with transfer flight obliged on the 29 th , 

destination Venegono. This time Gino left with Caracciolo with departure from Capodichino at 7.30 of the 28 th . First 

stop at Rome Urbe, second stop at Pisa, third stop at Milan with arrival to Venegono at 17.30. 

Unfortunately arriving in Venegono, the Astore landing made a strong yaw on the left, luckily without any damage 

for the strong landing gear. During the inspection Gino noticed the overlap of the rudder bar cables on a bolt of the 

rear small wheel. He made a temporary repairs and the day after the Astore did the competition circuit regularly, 

conquering a nice cup. The departure started from Venegono on the 30 th , this time with a stop in Florence Peretola, 

then Naples at 5.30 pm. It is of no use trying to explain the anxiousness of the wait, then finally the roar, the dot in 

the sky, the landing and the hug with Gino. 

After many flights with Caracciolo the desire of piloting ourselves our Astore was always stronger. We got the first 

grade license since one year flying with the Macchi 308 and it was a real torment seeing our airplane without being 

able to drive it. Especially Gino did not resist the temptation and I tried to discourage him fearing that some troubles 

could happen mainly because we were lacking in “aircraft transfer” being ourselves entitled only to the MB308. 

Besides the Macchi had a front tricycle undercarriage while the Astore had a small tail wheel. 

The difference of piloting was considerable so without a dual control proper training it was risky to attempt. I was 

worried for Gino and feared that landing the Astore could have some damages with consequences easily intuitable. 

One day we were in front of the garage of the 5°RTA to make some checking to the aircraft helped by the Captain 

Poli, instructor of the Aero Club. We started the engine twice; everything was ready, so I waved Gino that was inside 

the aircraft that he could bring it back to the hangar. He stepped on the gas and went towards the link to cross the 

field: Mr. Poli and I glanced at him when we noticed that after having entered the grass, he was directly going at the 

head of the strip. In a moment I understood: he was taking off! Together with Poli we ran to the head of the strip, we 

wanted to stop him but it was too late: Gino was rolling at full speed and after a perfect take off; he was already up in 

the sky. I could not explain the tension; I was following the aircraft that was turning around the grass. I was trying to 

talk with Poli; I wanted to reassure him but I couldn’t do it. He was our instructor and was obviously considering us 

his creatures to be kept always under control. I was going up and down in the grass and was talking to Gino: be 

careful, check the turns, the engine, stay calm, as if he could hear me. Then finally the heart-bumping step, the most 

difficult one: the landing. Gino pointed the snout straight towards the grass, Poli, squatted down, was following with 

his eye the manoeuvre and was saying: go Gino, faster, ok like that, slower Gino, good Gino, bravo Gino, fine, stop. 

Finally he had landed, I ran towards him, we hugged each other. That night in the town head office of the Aero Club 

which at that time was in Via S. Brigida, the director of the flying school, Captain De Cristofaro wanted to 

congratulate him and toast for the brilliant performance. 

The time was ripe for building another aircraft and more demanding. Gino and I were thinking about this new project 

more suited for competitions. 

Relentlessly we worked on it until late. We obviously had to find a sponsor that could only be Principe Caracciolo. 

We proposed him our ideas and found him enthusiast. He also was agreeing to point on a sport aircraft able to 

compete in national and overseas competitions. The aircraft with low wing, three-seater, with a velocipede 

retractable undercarriage, was quite a demanding job. As engine we choose a Continental 90 HP and called it P52 

Tigrotto. 

To start the works we necessarily needed the financing that was being late. Caracciolo did not make up his mind and 

Gino and I were impatient to start the works. One evening, in the head office of the Aero Club Santa Brigida, we met 

Caracciolo that finally gave us a cheque of L. 200.000 as a first account for the construction of the new aircraft. With 

De Cristofaro and Marciano, President of the Aero Club, we went to the Bar Pippone in the Gallery and toasted to 

the event. We were starting the second step, much more demanding, with a huge passion, a bit more experience and a 

lot of enthusiasm. The garage empty by now was put in order again; we pulled down a dividing wall to make it larger 

to be able to house the new aircraft whom wingspan was of 10 meters. The old members of the team were in part 

gone. Canestrelli, the turner, had become bank employer, Gagliotta was into nautical, and Genua was always more 

occupied with the shop. To face the new demanding job we employed our first worker, Mr. Beneduce, aeronautical 

fitter, ex employee of IMAM. As joiners they lend us for three months two workers of the aeronautical yards and for 

the plywood covering of the structure we employed a worker from the 5°RTA. Giovanni Sessa, the designer, was 

always with us and used to work promptly to prepare the construction drawings. We bought from the Ponta company 

- 14 -


a small single cylinder planner and a column drill signing about ten drafts expiring month after month. The garage 

was now assuming a different aspect having all the essential equipment. 

For the construction the time at our disposal was not a lot. We had fixed in advance with Caracciolo the goal of 

participating with the new aircraft to the V Sicily Tour planned for the 21/6/1953. We had only 12 months for the 

realization of the prototype P52 Tigrotto. Taking advantage from of the experience Astore, we prepared immediately 

the inspection, drawings and calculations for the RAI. The construction with the help of expert workers was going 

fast and also the quality was much better. The wing tapered at scale and in width was very difficult to build. The 

Spruce wooden spar in a unique piece of 10 meters was done with many reeds not very wide. The Ing. Mossa of the 

RAI used to come punctually from Rome for the inspection, checking accurately all the materials and the work 

quality. We used to work until late at night. Workers used to leave at six and Gino and I kept working until late, 

sometime after dinner. Caracciolo used to come almost every day, depositing when needed the funding to continue 

the job. 

The undercarriage legs were made with the help of Rolando Passardi in the Magnaghi garage. For the undercarriage 

retraction, we used two jacks from Fiat G46 and made us help from a technician of Magnaghi for the assembling of 

the waterworks. In January the wing and the fuselage were finished. We started fast, preparing all the necessary for 

the static test, in two months time they were completed. The engine unfortunately was not arrived yet so all the 

power unit was to zero. Finally Caracciolo got the engine on loan from the Ministry of Aeronautical Defense for the 

achievement of the prototype. On the 15 th of April we transferred the Tigrotto at the airport using the Aero Club 

hangar, with fifteen days in advance on the due date. In a few days we made the assembling of the aircraft and on the 

20 th we were ready for the test flight. Caracciolo was impatient, wanting to make himself the first flight but not 

having yet the test pilot patent, he had to give up in favor of De Bernardi that came to Naples as usual ready to help 

us. 

Gino and I lived moments of worries; a huge crowd of fan was in front of the Aero Club hangar waiting for De 

Bernardi that arrived as always friendly and cordial. We greeted each other, he went on the aircraft and talked to 

Gino for a few minutes, who showed him how the aircraft was working; he said that he was ready to taxi. The engine 

started immediately and the aircraft began taxiing on a narrow grass road, long approximately twenty meters until the 

link with the taxiway. At this time De Bernardi started accelerating and between the general bewilderment after a 

few meters he took off, pointing straight to the sky. 

Gino and I were touched, another creation of us was flying, and another step had been reached though the aim was 

still very far. 

The P52 was perfect; it was flying so well that it did not need any arrangement or modification. 

De Bernardi was enthusiast of his first flight, the handling was excellent and the speed fully satisfied our 

expectations. After lunch de Bernardi made a second flight with marvelous different aerobatics and evolutions. 

There was only approximately one month missing to the Sicily Flight Tour, exactly the V that was on the 21 st of June 

in Palermo. We completed in a hurry the flight tests with the RAI, represented by the Ing. Randi’s who together with 

Caracciolo and de Bernardi made around 30 hours of flight; then finally we got the certificate of navigability and the 

registration with the mark I-CARB. 

In the national field, the aircraft was eagerly awaited and the specialized press had written a lot about it. The V° 

Sicily tour was beginning on the 21 st of June 1953, the aircraft was ready and we left from Naples to Palermo, 

myself, Gino and Caracciolo two days before. The flight was perfect, the weather was good. Caracciolo and I were at 

the front and Gino on the sofa behind. We decided to try part of the circuit so we lowed down just after Messina 

directed to S. Agata del Militello and then Termini Imerese. The P52 was flying very well with great satisfaction 

from all of us. We landed in Palermo Boccadifalco in the afternoon and parked the aircraft in the Aero Club hangar. 

We were accommodated in Villa Igea and received by the President Albanese who was very cordial. The day after in 

the morning we went to the airport. We cleaned and polished the aircraft, checking the engine and the propeller. 

The Tigrotto’s propeller was a different chapter in the construction of the aircraft. In fact, the propeller ordered to the 

Sala company did not respond the flight test so Gino and I decided to build it by ourselves. 

Caracciolo was considering this fact absurd and did not have any faith. We prepared the walnut block and in a short 

period of time we built the propeller, studied and planned by Gino. 

Varnished with a shiny black with the oval yellow called Partenavia, we assembled it on the Tigrotto. When the P62 

landed after the propeller trial, Caracciolo said; another miracle, it works perfectly! 

- 15 -


The P52 had the chance of getting a good placing at the competition. The power was of only 85 hp and transported 3 

persons at nearly 240 Km/h. Many competitors thought we would win but Caracciolo did not intend to go at full 

speed. Gino and I were anxious and were trying to convince him. The night at the hotel they communicated us the 

starting order and the P52 was inserted as the favorite between the first ten. After dinner at the hotel, we prepared the 

competition schedule with all the stops, kilometers and time expected. The departure was at 7.30 so we had to be 

there at the airport by 6.30. All the aircrafts were already lining up on the airfield according to the starting order. 

I sat down at the back while Gino and Caracciolo were at the piloting seats. We took of quite rapidly and pointed 

directly on Trapani. Unfortunately what we feared happened punctually. The Caracciolo’s competition behavior was 

a tourism one. We reached an astronomic height of 800/1000 m while all the competitors were flying low. The 

engine turns did not go over 2450 as a cruise speed while we should have gone at full speed as 2750. Gino and I were 

impatient and were exchanging looks of disapproval. Fortunately all the winning posts sighted us, merits of 

Caracciolo, very good navigator, so we did not get any penalization. We arrived in Catania among the first 10, but 

unfortunately our winning dreams were vanished. On the second stop things did not go better, the engine was not at 

full speed. Gino shielded himself with the schedule competition and tried to push the speed with a pencil but 

Caracciolo got angry saying that he was the pilot and that they had to go like that. Next to Boccadifalco, some 

aircrafts overtook us; there was nothing to do anymore. Between us and Caracciolo there was some tension. The 

back flight was fine but it was hard to convince him to leave from Palermo. In fact he was convinced that we were 

too heavy for the take off. Absurd thing, in fact we took off in a small space. We arrived in Naples in the afternoon 

not in a good mood. 

With the Tigrotto P52, the name PARTENAVIA was born which was meaning Aviazione Partenopea. It was marked 

on the right side of the fuselage with a nice white sign on red base. We could not imagine how many aircrafts would 

have had this name in the entire world. 

In the following days we worked for the setting up of the P52, we checked the different installations and assembled 

for the first time a radio VHF, achieved by Riccardo Bonomo. Riccardo, our old friend, model aircraft enthusiast 

expert, devoted himself to electronic and had built for us this little jewel with four channels that was working 

perfectly. Then Bonomo, great person, formed the company Avioradio that used to build these machineries that we 

set on many aircrafts Partenavia. 

The 12 th of June, Gino and Caracciolo left with the P52 for Rimini to participate at the Riviera di Rimini Prize. The 

P52 was admired by everyone but due to the bad weather the competition could not be done. 

The competition schedule was by now very packed so as soon as back the aircraft was immediately prepared to 

participate at the III Venice International Aeronautical Exhibition. The P52 piloted by Caracciolo and Gino left the 

25 th of July (1953) for Venice, San Nicolò Venezia Lido Airport. 

The aircrafts lined up were around fifty. Our Tigrotto was the absolute novelty, lined up between a Piper and a Fiat 

G46; it was cutting a fine figure. Easy, elegant, red varnished, it was attracting all the visitors, also foreigners. The 

demonstration lasted seven days with different flight trials, all very admired. They were hosted at the Hotel De Bains 

where the last night a luxurious reception closed the demonstration. 

The presence of the Tigrotto in Venice had a lot of success in the international press. The mane Partenavia started to 

get known. We were continuously getting photos and drawing’s requests of the P52 from many different specialized 

magazines. 

In those days we received an official invitation from the Italia Aero Club to participate to the competition for a 

schooling aircraft for the Italians Club. For the first time we had been invited as company Partenavia to participate 

with others to a national competition. The news excited us very much and we started immediately the preparations to 

move the aircraft within one month to the Guidonia airport where it had to be evaluated by the experimental center 

pilots. We made some tuning up works, substituted some instruments, and modified the seats to hold the parachute 

requested by the soldiers. 

The P52 left from Capodichino to Guidonia with Caracciolo and Gino. Landed in Guidonia, Caracciolo, ex military 

pilot, had a cordial welcoming from soldiers, friends of his. 

We had to leave the aircraft in Guidonia for 15 days. The soldiers were requesting the assistance from the 

constructing company, so I had to go to Guidonia each time to make the checks on the aircraft. I was leaving early in 

the morning from Naples to Rome where I found the coincidence to Guidonia. I used to stay at the airport for the 

whole day, eating a sandwich at the soldier’s cookhouse, and at night I returned to Naples. It was a sacrifice I did 

- 16 -


with lot of enthusiasm, and at the same time animated by a great will. On a national scale the Partenavia was well 

known, the competition Ae.C.I brought us a come back and in fact amongst the Italian companies, the SACA of 

Brindisi came forward tendering for the construction in series of the P52, if we would have wan the competition. 

All these news excited us more and more. Gino and I were always more confident in ourselves. The projects were not 

scarce and the occasion for a new aircraft came from De Bernardi, whom animated like us by a great enthusiasm, 

suggested us to build a new aircraft named aero scooter. Gino started immediately the design helped by myself and 

by the designer Giovanni Sessa, aircraft single-seater at low wing, 8 meters of wingspan, firstly a two stroke engine 

P25 of 25 hp, then a CAN-D2 of 30 hp, around 300 kilos at the take off, named P53, it had to be, in De Bernardi’s 

intention, a hybrid between airplane and autogyro. The fuselage was in fact designed in order that in the upper level 

of the cabin their rotor could be installed. At the beginning the rotor was stopped in a longitudinal position in order 

to get free as soon as the aircraft got speed. With Gino we did not approve this solution, but we equally built the 

aircraft that was completed without the rotor. In the garage of Via Tasso the construction continued quickly helped 

by another ex good aero modelist Marcello Pellecchia. The fuselage was modified many times to find the solution 

that fitted the most. The tail boom was built by a cone in dural with four circular ordinates linked to the front side 

with steel tubes. The wing was made by cantilever wood and the levels by tails in tubes. To roll the cone without the 

proper machines was a problem that was solved with some wooden rolls, meanwhile in order to embed the rudder 

sheet, we built a kind of press with joiner’s clamps. It was the first time we worked the light alloy, another small step 

towards the future. 

The Captain De Bernardi was coming from Rome nearly each week and the job was progressing quickly. We were 

waiting for the engine on which we had many doubts. It was in fact the P25 two stroke engine of 25 hp, built in 

Milan in only one exemplary. 

The structure completed, we straightaway faced the static trials that were mostly done by the Ing. Simonetti of the 

RAI. The wing static trial bending went well but the one torsion had to be repeated due to some problems on the 

connections. Finally everything was completed and in the month of February (1954) we moved to Capodichino in the 

usual hangar of the Naples’s Aero Club for the assembling and the flight trials. We prepared the aircraft in a few 

days but when we got to the engine starting, troubles started. The P25 was very difficult to start, very sensitive at the 

spark advance and lacking in starter. Gino and I were taking turns to the propeller launch. Unfortunately at the 

second start the engine made a big counterblow. The propeller hit me with violence on the right hand on each finger. 

The pain was enormous, I could see the right hand becoming purple and swallowing rapidly. I stayed at home for a 

few days with the hand bandaged, but I recovered quickly. 

In the following days, we managed to improve the engine working, always difficult in the starting and the aircraft 

was ready for the test. De Bernardi was chafing at the bit, the news of the first flight spread and many reporters 

attracted also by the name of the Captain, very famous, met in Capodichino for the first flight. For us it was the usual 

emotion as always, the usual worries that would always be with us during all life. 

De Bernardi took off on the runway rapidly, climbed height and made the usual quick passages with different 

maneuvers. Then the landing but instead of going towards the runway, with a turn he landed on the small link in 

front of the hangar between the applauses of the presents. The P53 was born; another aircraft with the letter P had 

had his flight baptism. 

After these flights, also De Bernardi realized that the engine did not work well so it was necessary to find another 

one more reliable. After a few days, he called us from Rome to communicate us that the solution was the adaptation 

of the BMW 40 hp motorcycle two-cylinder engine. Obviously the engine needed different changes and the 

application of a reducer in order to gear down the propeller turns. A specialized garage in Rome had been charged to 

make these changes. It would have taken a few months. Moreover the engine completely different needed a new 

mobile maintenance tower, so we dismantled the front side of the fuselage and brought it in back in the garage in Via 

Tasso for the necessary changes. 

We were by now in the middle of May of 1954 and the preparations for the Golfo competition had started, valid for 

the Championship on the 6th of June. 

The enrolment was under the name of Gianni Caracciolo with the P52 Tigrotto together with Gino the pilot. 

The aircraft was prepared with the maximum scrupulousness changing for the occasion the propeller that permitted 

us to win some kilometers more and the red P52 was ready after several flights of tuning up. The Golfo circuit was 

fully taking place at the sea side in an extremely beautiful background. The competitors were twenty amongst which 

- 17 -


the famous Alaparma, some of which piloted by very good pilots. From Naples there was Poli, instructor of the Aero 

Club, Piperno and Santini. On the airport large square the aircrafts were all lined up in accordance with the departure 

order. The Tigrotto, in sixth position was preceded by the Alaparma and the Macchi, followed by a Norecrin, a Grifo 

Ambrosini and a Proctor 3. 

I waited for the departure of the P52 on the large square and the run in Via Caracciolo to assist to the turn around at 

the Rotonda Diaz mast where the tribunes were. After four turns the P52 overtook all the aircrafts that had left before 

and making some very good turns he was winning on the one that followed. He was the first to cross the finishing 

line leading fairly well on the second. I ran immediately to the airport: Gino and Caracciolo were radiant with 

happiness; the P52 had given an excellent proof of speed and handiness. 

At night time there was a big reception and the prize giving at the Circolo della Stampa. At our table were seated the 

Princess Caracciolo, the Prince, Gino and I, the Captain Mario deBernardi with his daughter Fiorenza, Miss Sartori, 

very good pilot, all waiting for the final results, by this time reported, but that did not come out as the timers were 

not ready yet. 

Finally they got into the room and with our dismay, they had mistaken everything, so the results were completely 

wrong. I flew into a fury, went to the timers that finally realized the mistake and everything went properly. The Ing. 

Bonifacio, President of the Naples Aero Club delivered the cups: 1 st Caracciolo on P52 Tigrotto, 2° Meneghini on 

Proctor 3, 3° De Bernardi on Alaparma. 

After the Golfo competition there was immediately the Sicily Tour, it was exactly the VI°, definitely the most 

important competition of the season. The P52 was by now well tested and also well known into the nation. The Sicily 

test was very important and the formulation particularly suitable to the P52 which with 3 persons on board flew at a 

speed of 250 km per hour with a power of 90 hp. 

I left from Naples with Caracciolo and Bruno Tedesco, a friend of us that used to work in the garage of Via Tasso. 

Bruno had the great advantage of being small and thin, much lighter as being the third person on board. We arrived 

in Palermo late in the morning, welcomed warmly by Beppe Albanese. Lots of airplanes were already lined up on the 

field ready for the departure of the first stopping place that punctually happened the following day. 

The competition’s conduct was not one of the best; I don’t know why Caracciolo flew at an enormous height altitude 

and not at full speed. Nevertheless we arrived in Catania 6 th. . I was very irritated and called immediately Gino in 

Naples to inform him about the competition. 

From Catania we went by bus to Taormina where we slept at the San Domenico Hotel. At night we met with lots of 

friends and pilots competitors that asked me why we had such a low result. Unfortunately the second stopping place 

did not go better than the first. The conduct of the competition did not change even though in the final, in the last 

three laps around the field, Caracciolo made some turns at the masts really fantastic. At last we were classed 9 th , and 

sadly we returned to Naples. 

By now we knew that the P52 was an excellent aircraft, but we needed to go further. With Gino we already thought 

of an aircraft quicker made for competitions. It was yet necessary to find a sponsor, someone interested in building it. 

The occasion came the night of the Sicilian tour prize giving at Villa Igea in Palermo. I talked about it to Ceschina, 

sportive pilot, champion of engine flying, who run with an airplane 45 made in Cecoslovacchia. Between him and 

Guagnellini, even him sportive champion, there was a big rivalry. In fact, in lots of competitions he did not manage 

to beat him, coming always second. Even in this lap, the story recurred, so the moment was really propitious. I 

pointed out to Ceschina the project we had in our studio and he seemed immediately very impressed. We talked 

about it for a long time, I explained him all the details of the new aircraft and at the end he told me to send him 

immediately the sketches to Venice. 

This meeting with Renzo Ceschina was another important ring of the development and of the success Partenavia in 

the following years. As soon as arrived in Naples with Gino we started to work straight away to finish the sketches 

and the description of P55 Tornado that we sent quickly to Ceschina. It was the 15 th of July 1954. 

Fifteen or twenty days went by always waiting for some news from Venice that however did not arrive. Then finally 

a phone call from Serena, pilot and friend of Ceschina that was telling us the big enthusiasm of Ceschina for the P55 

and the urgency of taking a decision. 

Serena got to Capodichino with the twin-engined Aero 45 coming from Venice. Gino and I left with all the drawings 

and projects with the twin-engined and landed at the Lido S. Nicolò airport. 

- 18 -


Ceschina gave us hospitality in his house in Venice where for 6 days we got the program ready for the construction 

of the Tornado P55. 

In the morning we used to go to the Lido to swim and there amid endless discussions we decided to sign the 

agreement truly very expensive for us. The agreement said besides that the brothers Pascale engaged them to furnish 

to Mr. Renzo Ceschina an aircraft named P55 Tornado in flight order the 10 th of May 1955; they guaranteed also a 

speed not lower than 340 km/h with an engine of 140 hp, furnished by the client. The price was established in L. 

4.500.000 amongst which 2.000.000 at the signature of the agreement. Venice, the 15/8/1954. 

Nine months were missing to complete the planning and the calculations, build the structure, do the static trials, 

assembly and tune up the aircraft (motor tricycle retractable undercarriage) and make it fly at a speed of 340 km/h: it 

was quite impossible, but we succeeded in the plan. 

We came back to Venice by train and during the return we got the planning ready. We were scared for the task we 

had to accomplish but happy because a new airplane was born. 

As soon as we got in Naples, while Gino devoted completely himself to the development of the project, helped by 

our friend and drawer Giovanni Sessa and the Ing. Montuoro, I devoted myself to the study of the equipment and to 

the readjustment of the rooms in Via Tasso. The first room was varnished at the best, the machinery settled and a 

wooden division realized to divide it from the hall. To improve the second room we excavated about 60 cm to earn in 

height. For this job we had to convince our uncle Paul, worried for the foundations that cropped out at the floor level. 

To improve the luminosity we enlarged also the big windows, we made again the flooring and everything was ready 

in two weeks time. 

For this new job we engaged two good workers carpenters and a mounter. The carpenter was Ciro La Camera that 

since then stayed always with us. 

In between the executive project went on with the maximum speed and the first structural drawings were ready for 

the garage. 

The Ing. Montuoro was for us a very valid collaborator, Gino’s assistant at the University. All the afternoons he used 

to come at the garage, where in a third room we had obtained a technical office with two drawing tables (one offered 

by dad to Gino for his degree) and a big wooden table, to develop the bigger drawings. In this office we used to work 

until late with endless discussions to study better each solution, the assembling slip and the necessary equipments. 

Finally at the end of September the new airplane construction started. We first built the slips of the wing and the 

fuselage. The work rhythm was fantastic: we used to work all day, Saturdays and even Sundays. We made an outline 

plan and I wrote with the brush on the wall the conclusion date of the aircraft, the 25 th of April 1955, just in time to 

transfer the aircraft in the airport, assembly it and make it fly. 

Whilst we brought about all the procedure with the RAI; we sent in a supervision application and the first file of 

reports and calculations. 

The first days of October we had the first visit of Renzo Ceschina and Giordano Serena. They were satisfied of the 

work realization and stayed at our place for lunch in Via Tasso and the evening, once the visit at the garage done, we 

went for dinner at the Naples Circolo Canottieri. 

At the end of October we had the first RAI visit, the Ing. Simonetti, whom we had to submit all the metal parts and 

the dimensional checking of the spars. 

The construction speed of the parts was surprising: we were at the end of January and the wings were nearly finished, 

the fuselage and the tail units on the assembling slips. The schedule was respected and we had by now the absolute 

urgency to have the engine that had not arrived until then. 

The first days of March, we sent to the RAI all the static trials estimated reports and we prepared the necessary 

equipment in the garage to make them the fastest possible. In fact not only we had to build the aircraft but also make 

all the static trials for the certification. 

Finally the engine arrived in Naples, but unfortunately there were many difficulties for the customs clearance. We 

called immediately Ceschina that came straight away to Naples and fortunately we managed to clear the engine and 

transport it to Via Tasso. Opening the crate had been moving for us, the beautiful engine Lycoming was wrapped up 

with some silver paper as a chocolate chip. 

We built the engine in steel tubes and installed it on the fuselage. The oil radiator was missing; it had not been 

ordered with the engine. 

- 19 -


The problem was solved by Gino that called a friend of his, Captain of the Army Aviation Renato Tango in 

Bracciano. After the call, Gino left immediately for Bracciano where Tango, who became some years after Director 

of the Naples’s RAI, gave us a Piper L21 radiator that was perfect. 

The 15 th of April the aircraft was still in the garage of Via Tasso but by then everything was ready. During the last 

days we worked also at night, the atmosphere was heated. The plane was completely assembled in the garage, except 

the direction rudder; otherwise there was no place for the length. The undercarriages were completely assembled and 

the retraction was working. The propeller was missing as it had to be built in wood. The problem was serious. On 

such a speedy aircraft it was not possible to suit an existing propeller so it was compulsory to draw it and built it. 

The last parts were finished in a few days. The engine covering was realized in aluminum with the help of a good 

hammer plate of the 5°RTA, Mr. Cammarota. 

On the 26 th of April the P55 Tornado was transferred at the airport‘s Aero Club hangar ready to be assembled. In less 

than one week the assembly was completed. Finally we could see the aircraft fully assembled, which had been 

impossible in the garage of Via Tasso. The P55 was very beautiful; everybody admired it and congratulated us. 

Everybody liked his unique style in his kind. 

The assembly completed and the undercarriage retraction tried, we left the hangar for the engine test. Unfortunately 

the propellers that we built were not good so we decided to inform Ceschina who in a few days gave us a metal 

propeller installed on the engine A54 or the aircraft Caproncino. Obviously the propeller was not usable the way it 

was. We had to fully modify the blades, job that we made in the garage of Via Tasso. The diameter had been reduced 

of many centimeters and the base and the profile of the blades modified. This job was enormous. We bought some 

cutter files and in turn Gino and Salvatore Montuoro completed the blades in two days time. For the propeller boss, 

the Cav. Di Maglie of the 5°RTA helped us and managed to adapt it to the Lycoming engine. Another miracle was 

done: the propeller went perfectly well during the ground test and the aircraft was ready for the flight. 

The 4 th of May the P55 took off the wheels from the ground. Giordano Serena, a good friend of Ceschina, took the 

lead. The first flight had the duration of 30 minutes, the results were satisfying. The second flight was planned for the 

day after, but for an inexplicable quarrel between Serena and Ceschina, the flights were interrupted. They started 

again after a few days and De Bernardi took the lead of the P55, once again, our very good friend and yet test pilot of 

our planes. Within a few days he completed all the tests also showing off with fantastic aerobatic figures. 

Unfortunately an upsetting fact occurred. While we were working at the airport, they informed us that our father had 

died. The pain was enormous; we left everything and hurried at home. The day after the funerals and the body 

transportation in Faicchio, we stayed with our mother full of sadness. 

The interruption of our activity compromised the completion of the planning to obtain the Certification of 

navigability and so we lost the possibility of participating to the Sicilian tour. Ceschina discouraged left for Sicily 

with his Aero 45, disappointed for the missing result. Only on the 6 th of July (1955) he participated for the first time 

to an airplane race, the Pescara Circuit, D’Annunzio Trophy, where the P55 with De Bernardi pilot and Gino copilot, 

they won with a remarkable gap. 

The 30 th of July, De Bernardi and I we left with the Tornado for Venice to participate to the International Exhibition. 

Departure at 9.00 o’ clock, the aircraft was very fast, we got to Venice Lido in one hour and a half and speeded on 

the Lido hotels at 350 km/h, making a series of tonnaux at a very low height. We stayed in Venice for six days, guest 

of the Hotel des Bains, making daily demonstrative flights and ending the exhibition with an aerobatic demonstration 

made by De Bernardi: absolutely fantastic. The name Partenavia was imposing itself and was by now well known. 

The Tornado was the symbol of this little big company. 

I profited of this presence in Venice to start calming down Ceschina, convincing him that we had to head to the next 

Sicilian Tour and that we had to make some tuning up works and improvements on the aircraft that the flights had 

pointed out. At the end he convinced himself. He would have sponsored the necessary works that began after the 

summer. We dismantled the aircraft for the transportation in Via Tasso. The most important modifications were 

concerning the undercarriage to improve his retraction, the gas exhaust ejector improvement, the engine nosing up 

and wing paneling, so much that during the test we went over the previous speed of more than 20 km/h. 

In those days Capodichino’s airport was closed to the traffic for some works on the ground, so we had to move on 

the Capua’s airport with inconvenience for everyone. 

We stayed in a military hangar that the command luckily gave us and there we made the other works of tuning up. 

Three days before the departure the Ing. Mossa from the RAI came from Rome. After having made the first test 

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flight, he asked some supplementary works to improve the oil cooling. Gino, I and Montuoro worked all night to 

make these modifications and to be ready for the day after in order to make other flight with the RAI. 

I remember that at dawn, I came out from the hangar to see the sun that was rising, eating a sandwich that Serena had 

bought for us before going back to Naples. 

At 10 o’ clock we were ready. Mossa and Serena did the test flight. When they came down, Mossa shook Gino’s 

hands, satisfied on the aircraft. For Serena the P55 went over the 350 km/h. The promises had been kept, everyone 

was tired and exhausted, and our P55 was very strong. 

The following morning we left from Capua until Sicily all together. First we took off me and Ceschina with the Aero 

45, after Serena and Gino with the P55. 

That flight was born under an unlucky star. The Tornado in front of us was flying very fast though Serena forgot to 

take out the flap after the take off, and making a tour very fast on the airport to say goodbye to the soldiers, he 

realized that they were out. At the end, he took off the flap and went faster. Without any reason maybe due to the 

compass not compensated, instead of following the coast, after Palinuro he went inland followed by us by the Aero 

45. Ceschina realized that the route was wrong but unfortunately we were not in the conditions to reach them. After 

about 30 minute’s flight with disappointment we appeared on the coast but the sea was on the left, we were so on the 

Ionic coast. At that point we had lost the Tornado. We saw under us a train station and diving we managed to read its 

name to have the proof that we were in fact off course. 

We traced the new route and reached Palermo, hoping to find the Tornado already on land. At this point a big worry 

assailed us, the minutes went by and in a while in accordance with our calculations the maximum range of the P55 

was finished. I was very worried: the only hope was that the aircraft had landed in Reggio Calabria for refueling. I 

ran towards the Control Tower to ask if they had some news on the P55 from Reggio, but Reggio answered no. At 

that moment Renzo hugged me crying. I had tears in my eyes; we did not know what had happen when from far we 

heard the classical roar of the very fast P55 that with a turn around the field prepared him for the landing. Renzo and 

I hugged each other, first the anguish, now the happiness, I had spent 30 minutes of hell that I will never forget. 

As soon as landed, Renzo attacked Serena that had difficulties to justify the mistake that he imputed to the compass. 

Gino told me how things were gone; even him could not explain why Serena had went so far into land. When they 

realized the mistake they pointed directly towards Palermo but after a while they came out over Crotone. There at 

their maximum range with the televel nearly to zero they pointed on Reggio Calabria where they got almost running 

out of petrol. After the refueling they left for Palermo, they were safe. 

Gino was critical about the pilot flight conduct; Serena was very nervous so together we decided not to accompany 

him to the competition the following day. 

On the ground where more than 80 aircrafts were parked, the arrival of the P55 had polarized the attention and there 

was a lot of expectation for the result of the competition. Our direct competitors were lined up: a team of 5 

Superfalco from Milan, the Rondone of Guagnellini and the Piper Apache of Goemans plus the team of soldiers with 

two Ambrosini S7 and two Fiat G46. 

The morning of the 14 th of June of 1956 at 8 o’ clock there was the departure of the first stop Palermo-Catania of 315 

km of the VIII Sicilian International Airplane Tour. Ceschina and I left at 7.30 for Catania, before the concurrent’s 

departure. Our mechanic Bruno Tedesco that had the advantage to be slight in build went on board with Serena. Gino 

and Montuoro that arrived in Palermo during the morning gave the last assistance to the P55 before the departure. 

We arrived in Catania much before the arrival of the concurrent; we parked the aircraft and stayed next to the 

finishing line with the heart worried. Minutes were passing fast and the arrival time was near, when we heard 

faraway a buzzing firstly light, then always stronger that we began to recognize. As an arrow the P55 breasted the 

tape first. What a huge happiness! Renzo made a jump and fell directly in my arms. More than 3 minutes occurred 

before the arrival of the second aircraft. The Tornado had broken all the first stop records. 

Meanwhile, Gino had assisted in Palermo to the departure and was waiting with inexpressible anxiety the results of 

the stop, stopping nearby the Boccadifalco CDA. Montuoro went away to get some news and after some minutes 

came back gesticulating, until when he arrived near Gino he stretched out his hand and said: he is first. Gino was not 

able to restrain his emotion and busted into tears. 

The day after in the stop Catania-Palermo the Tornado repeated the exploit. Boccadifalco was full of people for the 

arrival of the Tour and the speakers spread the news on the passages on the different finishing lines. Gino and 

Montuoro were on the field waiting anxiously when the passage of the P55 at the Mondello second-last finishing line 

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was announced. After a few minutes they saw it, at the peak of enthusiasm, breast the tape, winner of the Tour while 

the speakers were talking about the two Neapolitans brother’s airplane. 

At evening there was the traditional awarding of prizes ceremony. A special prize with a nice silver cup was given to 

the designer of the P55. 

We went back to Naples with the Aero 45 of Ceschina while Serena with the Tornado left directly to Venice. We 

were very happy and excited for the big technical and sportive success, more than ever convinced that we had to 

exploit the positive moment to go forward and consolidate the name Partenavia. 

After almost one week Ceschina called us enthusiast of the P55 that in Venice had a big success and proposed us to 

prepare the P55 to win the world speed record for that weight class aircraft. Actually the P55 during the Sicilian Tour 

had broken all speed records. Naturally enthusiast we accepted with pleasure and after one week Serena took back 

the P55 to Naples to prepare it to beat the record at the presence of inspectors of the F.A.I. (Federazione 

Internazionale Aeronautica, Italian Aeronautical fedration). 

We worked with will, the available time was limited. The aircraft was prepared and started the tests with Serena 

taking the lead. Unfortunately this time things did not work properly; the P55 in a trial flight got to the final and from 

the hangar where we were waiting it I realized that the front undercarriage’s leg had not gone out completely. I 

screamed to Gino “undercarriage --- undercarriage”. The aircraft touch the ground and at the contact with the front 

leg, re-entered completely. The propeller broke and the engine soft top and the front side of the fuselage were 

damaged. No harms to the occupants. The trial for the records had failed. At this point Ceschina decided to sell the 

Tornado to commission us the Super Tornado. With Gino we started the study of the new aircraft and sent the 

general views to Ceschina that immediately was convinced about it. 

We were quite perplexed to continue on the realizations of sportive aircrafts that unlikely could have a commercial 

development. Moreover the relations with Ceschina, not easy, did not attracted in venturing in a new realization so 

demanding. 

Meanwhile Caracciolo called us suggesting an agreement with the aeronautical company SACA from Brindisi for the 

realization of an airplane four-seater. It was the time when in America the Piper Pacer were all the rage and the Ing. 

Marlia responsible of the SACA thought of launching himself in the field. After the visit of Gino and Caracciolo to 

the establishment in Brindisi we decided to plan a pre-project in order to be able to evaluate the possibilities of the 

venture. 

We got down to the planning of the P57, four-seater aircraft with high wing, suitable to a reproduction industrially 

cheap. This step would have let us pass from the testing construction of prototypes to the realization of current 

aircrafts. 

In the following days with lot of regret we sent the P55 to the Monfalcone’s Meteor, charged by the buyer Ing. 

Peruzzi. 

We were very skeptical that others could get down to a complex prototype aircraft as the P55 but unfortunately we 

could do nothing to avoid it. At this stage, in spite of the persistent requests of Serena we renounced definitely to the 

construction of the Super-Tornado thinking it was more useful to devote ourselves to the planning of the aircraft P57 

more commercial that could constitute the launching pad for the Partenavia, yet ready to progress and develop. 

With the days passing by the new project became more and more consistent. Gino, Montuoro and Sessa worked 

continuously to the new realization. We built the wooden model for the aerodynamic tunnel trials, realized by Gino 

at the university. The trials were satisfying and so everything was ready to start the planning. We had to find a 

sponsor that the luck once more introduced to us. The Ing. Franco D’Agostino, industrial in the ceramics sector, pilot 

among the Naples’s Aero Club, was enthusiast to participate to the exploit. He engaged himself in financing the 

project that started immediately. The garage of Via Tasso came to life again; the P57 was a four-seat aircraft bigger 

than the one until now constructed. The experience matured in many years of work permitted us to work very 

rapidly. The fuselage made with steels tubes welded was realized in a short time meanwhile the wing and the 

wooden tail unit have been finished and tried together with the fuselage in a series of static trials with the presence of 

the Ing. Mossa and De Giorgi of RAI. 

In the same time D’Agostino ventured, stimulated by the Captain Bronzone that will become later our test pilot, in 

the work area aerial agriculture. He stipulated in fact with the Turkish government a contract for the agriculture 

disinfestations in that country. He bought three English Auster aircrafts to execute these works; one had to be 

modified to allow the installation of the petrol tanks. Naturally we had to this job so with our disappointment we 

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moved to Capodichino, abandoning the P57 almost finished. These facts created some frictions with D’Agostino that 

by now centered on the job in Turkey was not interested on the P57 planning. 

In fact he left with Bronzone for Turkey with one of the three Auster and unfortunately in one of the transferring 

place we ran out of petrol and landed out of field damaging the aircraft. 

The P57 was finished but unfortunately D’Agostino did not keep the promises of financing it so it was not possible 

to buy the 180 hp engine. 

Waiting to find a solution for the engine we started in an experimental way the construction of a new project, born 

from the notoriety had in the USA of a similar machine realized by Bensen. We would have called it IDROTTERO. 

It was an auto gyro composed by an aluminum tubes trellis whose extremities were fixed three wooden floats gear. 

At the head foot it had a hub where was fixed a rotor with two wooden blades. The command was composed by a 

joystick that changes the keying of the rotor. Along the longitudinal tube was fixed a haulage hook, in the centre the 

pilot seat and at the rear limbs the direction rudder. 

We made the first tests of only speed boat haulage floats to control the efficiency of the boat in water. Everything 

was ok, we slightly modified only the inclination of the three boats on the trellis and all was ready for the flight trial. 

We transported everything in a calm sunny day to the Naples’s Canottieri and with the help of Gennarino the sailor 

we started the haulage trials with a speed boat Florida. 

On the boat I was with Montuoro and D’Agostino that had come back from Turkey and Gennarino. Gino was at the 

driver’s seat on the auto gyro. We made some taxiing trials, trying different keying blades way, then Gino made a 

sign to increase the speed and gradually the auto gyro took speed, took off softly then suddenly nosed up and 

inexplicably capsized and fell into the water upside down. With the boat at full speed we went towards the auto gyro. 

Gino had not emerged. We went closer. Gennarino was going to dive into the water when Gino appeared on the 

surface unhurt. A lot of fear, tremendous seconds had occurred. Then Gino explained us that under the water he 

could not undo his safety belt, then after having won the panic he managed following the belt to find the release and 

got rid of it. We came back on the seashore mute and exhausted. That experience had by this time failed. 

We closed this bracket and came back to the P57 that finally had his engine not new unfortunately. We managed in 

fact to get back a second-hand engine Lycoming and we proceeded immediately to its installation. 

The aircraft was ready for the transfer to Capodichino and as the other times we found hospitality at the Naples’s 

Aero Club. The aircraft blue varnished with white ornaments was called I-NORI, name chosen by D’Agostino; it 

seemed very nice and also inside it was very pleasant with blue cloth and skaj. Finally the authorization for the first 

flight arrives from RAI and the Captain Poli, yet Aero Club instructor and brave army pilot, made brightly the first 

test flight with two field laps and a perfect landing. Finally the Italian tourism four-seater aircraft was born as well as 

a real chance for the Partenavia to realize a construction in series. 

Captain Poli had been also for me and Gino our flight instructor. A loveable person that I remember with love. 

Unfortunately all this enthusiasm was embittered by a bad news. That morning, we were in the hangar working at the 

P57. With Gino and me there was even the Ing. Mossa of RAI, who came from Naples to make some trials of the 

aircraft. Not long after arrived the Ing. Montuoro whom, with great emotion told us that the P55 had crushed in 

Monfalcone. In the accident Meille and Lauri had been injured. I got out of the hangar and started crying sitting in 

my car. The aircraft was destroyed, the pilots were nearly dying, a really big tragedy for us. We had to find the 

strength to go on. Such sadness, but a great will that made us win all kind of obstacles. Later we knew that during the 

landing the engine of the P55 stopped and the aircraft, skimming over the high tension cables, crushed: Meille died, 

Lauri saved himself and, after many years we got to know from him the cause of such a disaster. 

The project that had to be built was by now realized, but where could we built it ? With which industrial organization 

? All this missed. We had to solve this big problem. 

Typing January/October 2000 

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Fratelli Pascale Story: from the 30s onward - Tecnam.com

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