Fratelli Pascale Story: from the 30s onward - Tecnam.com
Fratelli Pascale Story: from the 30s onward - Tecnam.com
Fratelli Pascale Story: from the 30s onward - Tecnam.com
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<strong>Fratelli</strong> <strong>Pascale</strong> <strong>Story</strong>: <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>30s</strong> <strong>onward</strong><br />
screaming: “bravo, beautiful!” Gino and I were so excited, everyone asked us for a second flight. We launched <strong>the</strong><br />
model that redid exactly <strong>the</strong> previous flight landing perfectly in an area where <strong>the</strong>re were some people. Here came an<br />
unexpected event: one of <strong>the</strong> group, perhaps drunk, came close to <strong>the</strong> model and kicked it, breaking <strong>the</strong> wings in two<br />
pieces. We immediately run after him and with us all <strong>the</strong> furious onlookers that absolutely wanted to teach him a<br />
lesson. The din ended and Gino and I came back home to verify <strong>the</strong> damages and to start <strong>the</strong> reparations.<br />
That night we couldn’t sleep, <strong>the</strong> accident shocked us. The thing that mostly made us anxious was <strong>the</strong> conviction that<br />
inside us <strong>the</strong>re was <strong>the</strong> chance to design flying models. The path to follow started to emerge and a strong will to<br />
succeed would have led us in a few years to <strong>the</strong> creation of <strong>the</strong> first tourism aircraft. All <strong>the</strong>se activities made us<br />
neglecting school; this is why my fa<strong>the</strong>r decided <strong>the</strong> suspension of our work limiting it only to <strong>the</strong> designing side.<br />
Ideas, ideas were continuously debated between Gino and I, always trying to make plans for <strong>the</strong> vacation period that<br />
unfortunately never seemed to arrive. As it was for sight, both of us were sit in October. I went with my fa<strong>the</strong>r to<br />
Faicchio while Gino went to Naples to visit my uncle Paolo. Gino could continue <strong>the</strong> activity with <strong>the</strong> help of my<br />
uncle Paolo and so <strong>the</strong>y built toge<strong>the</strong>r two marvelous models AP7 and AP8. At that time my uncle leaved in Via<br />
Medina. They tried <strong>the</strong> AP7 late in <strong>the</strong> night and beside this a huge crowd of curious came to assist at <strong>the</strong> flight,<br />
which unfortunately ended against <strong>the</strong> tram’s cables.<br />
The AP8 was a gorgeous model with two fuselages with a very <strong>com</strong>plex construction. As a matter of fact it was<br />
published on <strong>the</strong> Aquilone of March 1939.<br />
Returning to Benevento we learned <strong>from</strong> our magazine <strong>the</strong> existence of <strong>the</strong> R.U.N.A. (Reale Unione Nazionale<br />
Aeronautica, Royal National Aeronautic Association) and we immediately tried to get in touch with <strong>the</strong> Benevento<br />
division that did not exist for real. Toge<strong>the</strong>r with Gino, we went to <strong>the</strong> Benevento’ delegate house, an aeronautic<br />
former officer who was quite happy to give us all <strong>the</strong> documents so that we could try to start up <strong>the</strong> Benevento’s<br />
division. We needed to create a school for aircraft model enthusiasts in order to start this sport activity, which was<br />
very intense in o<strong>the</strong>r Italian cities.<br />
Schools had begun; we were at <strong>the</strong> beginning of <strong>the</strong> year 1938. The catastrophe that was about to strike Europe was<br />
approaching. My fa<strong>the</strong>r, an army officer, was called to arms and a few months later he left with his battalion for<br />
Tripolitania.<br />
Every aircraft model enthusiast has once in his life <strong>the</strong> dream to build a plane to fly; this was also our secret hope.<br />
The Aquilone in its pages dedicated to flight, kept us updated about all <strong>the</strong> constructions, <strong>com</strong>petitions and successes<br />
of our gliding. Thus we came to know that a young aircraft model enthusiast <strong>from</strong> Milan, named Della Torre, had<br />
built successfully a little glider called S. Ambrogio.<br />
Pushed by enthusiasm and by an aeronautical unconsciousness we decided to start <strong>the</strong> drawings for <strong>the</strong> construction<br />
of our own glider. As always, a strict will sustained us. We had many problems but all of <strong>the</strong>m were solved in a<br />
couple of months. We modified many times <strong>the</strong> constructions plans with discussions and quarrels between Gino and<br />
me on how to realize <strong>the</strong> structure. At <strong>the</strong> end, <strong>the</strong> project, if we could call it so, was <strong>com</strong>pleted.<br />
In Benevento we did not have a place available so we had to postpone <strong>the</strong> start up of <strong>the</strong> construction when we<br />
moved to Faicchio. In <strong>the</strong> mean time we tried to supply with <strong>the</strong> necessary materials. We went to a big sawmill to<br />
choose <strong>the</strong> wood for <strong>the</strong> ribs, <strong>the</strong> spars, and <strong>the</strong> fuselage.<br />
It was a crazy task. I was thirteen years old and Gino not yet fifteen. I remember that <strong>the</strong> problem with <strong>the</strong> glue was<br />
almost insurmountable; we couldn’t find <strong>the</strong> necessary casein to glue <strong>the</strong> wood. We finally succeeded in having <strong>the</strong><br />
address of <strong>the</strong> firm Hydra, that supplied <strong>the</strong> aeronautics and shortly we had several kilos of casein glue. We bought<br />
brass nails, we prepared some assembling surfaces for <strong>the</strong> ribs and finally everything was ready to start <strong>the</strong><br />
constructions.<br />
In our family, everyone considered our project a foolish task. My mo<strong>the</strong>r tried to dissuade us, worried for <strong>the</strong> volume<br />
of <strong>the</strong> supplying and for <strong>the</strong> confusion that we used to do at home. Anyhow Mum and grandfa<strong>the</strong>r Luigi, always very<br />
generous with us, helped us economically.<br />
We started <strong>the</strong> construction in Faicchio. The first thing was to build some wood stands that were used as a small<br />
ladder. We emptied <strong>com</strong>pletely <strong>the</strong> room in <strong>the</strong> basement and <strong>the</strong>re <strong>the</strong> day after we built <strong>the</strong> wing ribs and all <strong>the</strong><br />
frames of <strong>the</strong> fuselage.<br />
The wing had a rectangular shape with a central spar that we built outside in <strong>the</strong> terrace because of its length.<br />
Initially incredulous, grandfa<strong>the</strong>r Luigi often came to visit us in our lab. Then astonished, and at last amazed and<br />
worried, I remember him going away shaking his head.<br />
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