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

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

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