Early training After leaving the
Gymnasium he was admitted into the
"Nunziatella" Royal Military Academy and into the
Sparviero (Sparrow) course of the Royal
Italian Air Force Academy in
Caserta. He was trained to fly on
Breda Ba.25s and
I.M.A.M. Ro.41s at
Capua airfield. He first flew solo on 7 February 1938. Having committed an act of indiscipline in flight, he was moved to the
Malpensa Bombardment School as a punishment measure. There he flew
Fiat BR.20s and
Savoia-Marchetti S.M.81s. In 1940 he was assigned to 65
Squadriglia, 31
Gruppo of
18 Stormo based at
Aviano airfield. he left the Air Force with the rank of
Colonnello (
Colonel), and was hired by
Fiat Aviazione where he worked as a test pilot for
Vittorio Valletta and
Giuseppe Gabrielli. He tested the first all-Italian jet aircraft, the
Fiat G.80, and later the
Fiat G.82 and the licence-built
North American F-86K. He also flew the
Aeritalia G-91Y for the first time, as well as all the Italian-made
F-104 Starfighters. On 18 July 1970 he participated in the maiden flight of the
Aeritalia G.222 prototype with co-pilot Pietro Paolo Trevisan. He remained in service until 1977 when the early tests of the
Panavia Tornado began. ==Bibliography==