HISTORY OF A PASSION
Born in 1962, I was born and raised in Milan. To be able to tell the story of my passion for flying we need to start from the story of my father, who certainly passed on his passion to me.
He was born in Milan but as a child, during the war he was forced to flee to Foggia where he resides very close to a military airport, which attracts his curiosity. For the baptism of the flight, however, he must wait to get on a helicopter during a trip to Canada.
From an early age he took me to see all the air shows and we spent whole afternoons building and experimenting with model aircraft. At the time, ultralights were a novelty, and my father collaborated with the famous Bagalini on the design and construction of some prototypes, including the Leonardino.
It was on the prototype of the Leonardino, a two-axle ultralight aircraft inspired by an idea of the genius of Leonardo da Vinci, that I made my first flight.
THE BEGINNINGS
AERO CLUB MILANO
I obtained the PPL patent in 1986, and soon, I became passionate about acrobatics. My teacher was the legendary Sergio Dallan, to whom I am still very fond and indebted. Sergio took me to join the acrobatic group of the Aero Club Milano.
I participated in the first races with the Club's CAP 10, and a few years later, I bought my first plane: the CAP 21, the I-CILL.
I bought it from a dear friend and great champion Gianfranco Cillario, but the plane had to be fixed; so, I took it apart and rebuilt it from scratch, revising piece by piece.
Once ready I participated in the first Italian Motor Aerobatics Championship in the various categories.
The Aero Club Milano was for me a place of growth for my aeronautical career, but above all a big family.
Thursday was the evening of the acrobatic members, we found ourselves in huge tables, with people of all ages and different cultural backgrounds united by a great passion: FLY!
Although, to be honest, the credit also goes to the excellent food of the legendary Giovanni, the manager of the Club's restaurant.
di aerei
I continued to participate in the Italian Motor Aerobatics Championships in the advanced and freestyle category.
In the 1994 World Cup, held in Debrecen, Hungary, I joined the Italian National Team as a mechanic.
In the meantime, I changed a few planes, the Stolp SA-700 Acroduster One, the I-DUST, was a fascinating but above all a lot of fun.
After some time I bought my dear old Zlin-50 LA, the I-HANS with which I participated in numerous air races and events throughout Italy. A light and elegant aircraft completely built in aluminum.
In addition to aerobatics, I have always flown "straight" with my family or friends, for trips, travels and adventures, such as North Africa and the Atlantic Crossing.
With the family we traveled on our beloved Cessna C172A, the I-CMDA, known as "the comfortable one", given its comfort and versatility of piloting and cruising.
In short, mine is a boundless passion that allowed me to meet many wonderful people and experience unforgettable moments.