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Aviation History
1937
1937 - 0777.PDF
—T- MARCH 25, 1937. FLIGHT. 295 IN SEARCH OF GERMAN AND ITALIAN AVIATION PART VI By CAPTAIN NORMAN MACMILLAN, M.C., A.F.C.A.F.R.Ae.S., F.R.S.A. H i s Excellency General Valle (Under Secretary of State for Air— // Duce is S. of S.) received me in h i s beautifully appointed rooms. During an inter esting conversa tion General Valle told me that Italian workmen are peculiarly adaptable for modern aircraft work because the origins of Italian industry were rooted in the traditional artigianato (craftsmanship) handed down over generations. He quoted one interesting case of a small factory in Piedmont. During the Great War it made parts for aircraft, and expanded to about 1,000 workmen. After the war it reduced to 300 workmen, but kept the factory and tools. During the Abyssinian cam paign this factory came into full operation and again grew to 1,000 workmen. During the period of reduction many of its hands returned to work in the fields. Before I left the Air Ministry General Valle gave me permission to pay a visit to the national air laboratory at Guidonia. The name Guidonia is a lasting tribute to one of Italy's foremost air pilots. General Guidoni. Those who knew him (both Britishers and Italians) have told me what a fine man he was. Ever in the forefront of Italian air develop ment, he was dissatisfied with the design of a parachute. He knew there was something wrong with it. Determined not to impose the risk of testing it upon any other officer, he placed all his affairs in order, then ascended in an aero plane to try out the parachute. He jumped. The para chute failed. Where he fell now stands a monument com memorating the gallant general to whom the success of Italy's standard parachute is due, and for which he gave his life. Two years ago this air laboratory did not exist. Signor Mussolini ordered it to be built for the purpose of pushing Italian aeronautical development ahead with the utmost rapidity. Now it is commanded by Lieut.-General Cristo- The administration building, Lt.-General Cristoforo Ferrari's headquarters. foro Ferrari, under whom is a staff of about 350, compris ing both military and civilian personnel. General Ferrari received me in his office in the adminis tration building. Speaking in French, he described the lay out of Guidonia. By means of a painting, which showed an isometric view of the complete laboratory, he indicated the different sections of his command.. Each research group is housed in a separate building. One could readily spend a week examining me detail of the work of different depart ments. The buildings are of modern architectural design, their severity of line offset by well-balanced proportions. Care has been taken to create a garden landscape outside the buildings, and the aromatic perfume from the trees that have been planted created a pleasant scent in the mellow winter air. In the near distance the morning mist rose from the Apennines, and disclosed peaks against whose bulk the great proportions of the buildings seemed to merge as in an intended setting. Let us walk round the station as I saw it and inspect the different departments at work. Radio Research First we drove to the radio research building. It is staffed by young men under the leadership of an extremely keen and alert officer of not more than thirty years of age. Under his guidance we walked round the clean, well- lighted, ventilated and heated departments of the building, inspecting radio sets that had been assembled and approved for use in fighters, bombers and civil aircraft ;*examined ground station equipment; and saw some of the develop ment work taking place for the production of still more efficient and more compact apparatus. There were Faraday screens, frequency-measuring machines of American design, an acoustic room where the tonal properties of sets can be tested free from echo interference, workshops for the manu facture of sets, and generating plant for current. Following development work in the radio section at Guidonia, designs of experimental sets known to be entirely satisfactory for the purpose for which they were constructed are passed to civil constructing companies for manufacture. Before being installed in aircraft for Service use, each manufactured set is tested at Guidonia and approved.
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