Alessandro Guidoni
Encyclopedia
Alessandro Guidoni served as a General in the then Italian Royal Airforce. Guidonia Montecelio
, the small town where he died while testing a new parachute, was named after him in 1937. He obtained his degree in engineering at the Turin Polytechnic in 1903 and in 1905, while serving in the Navy Engineering Corps, took his second degree in Naval Engineering. Since 1909 he developed a keen interest in the then new-born Air Force joining many pioneers in that field.
In 1911 he served in the Italian-Turkish war as pilot trainee, soon achieving a full certification and flying hydroplanes. He then started studying weaponry and developed a new gyroscope-guided bomb to be delivered by planes on distant targets. He also drew plans of the Europa Hydroplane Carrier. In 1920 he joined the Italian Embassy in London as military attaché with the rank of Colonel.
On the morning of April 27, 1928, being dissatisfied with its design, he tested personally a new model of parachute and was wounded fatally when it failed. He was awarded posthumously with the Medaglia d’Oro al Valore aeronautico.
In Guidonia today there exists only a military airfield, but in the 30’s a full town was built around it to house military personnel. The founding stone was laid by the Italian Duce, Benito Mussolini, on the 7th anniversary of Guidoni’s death, April 27, 1935. On the exact spot where Guidoni died, in front of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, now stands a memorial.
Guidoni’s flight passion was celebrated publicly by General Ermanno Aloia (ITAF) on April 26, 2006 with these words: “A perfect fusion of military engineer and scientist, General Guidoni (ITAF) represents more than anyone else in our country the passion of man to conquer space, reach other planets and investigate stars”.
Guidonia Montecelio
Guidonia Montecelio is a town and comune in the province of Rome, Lazio, central Italy.- Geography :The community of Guidonia Montecelio lies to the north-east of Rome, some kilometres from the Grande Raccordo Anulare - a ring-shaped motorway which forms a circle around the capital...
, the small town where he died while testing a new parachute, was named after him in 1937. He obtained his degree in engineering at the Turin Polytechnic in 1903 and in 1905, while serving in the Navy Engineering Corps, took his second degree in Naval Engineering. Since 1909 he developed a keen interest in the then new-born Air Force joining many pioneers in that field.
In 1911 he served in the Italian-Turkish war as pilot trainee, soon achieving a full certification and flying hydroplanes. He then started studying weaponry and developed a new gyroscope-guided bomb to be delivered by planes on distant targets. He also drew plans of the Europa Hydroplane Carrier. In 1920 he joined the Italian Embassy in London as military attaché with the rank of Colonel.
On the morning of April 27, 1928, being dissatisfied with its design, he tested personally a new model of parachute and was wounded fatally when it failed. He was awarded posthumously with the Medaglia d’Oro al Valore aeronautico.
In Guidonia today there exists only a military airfield, but in the 30’s a full town was built around it to house military personnel. The founding stone was laid by the Italian Duce, Benito Mussolini, on the 7th anniversary of Guidoni’s death, April 27, 1935. On the exact spot where Guidoni died, in front of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, now stands a memorial.
Guidoni’s flight passion was celebrated publicly by General Ermanno Aloia (ITAF) on April 26, 2006 with these words: “A perfect fusion of military engineer and scientist, General Guidoni (ITAF) represents more than anyone else in our country the passion of man to conquer space, reach other planets and investigate stars”.
Honorary and Acknowledgements
Gold Medal to Aeronautic prowess- The Guidoni Memorial in front of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Guidonia Montecelio.
- After Gen. Guidoni was named a Dornier Do X I-ABBN aircraft, the third one built of the series. The aircraft was flown initially by a private airline, Società Anonima di Navigazione Aerea (SANA), to be taken over later by the Italian Royal Airforce.