Silvio Pettirossi
Encyclopedia
Silvio Pettirossi was a Paraguayan airplane
pilot
and aviation pioneer.
on June 16, 1887 from Italian
emigrants, as a young man he moved to Buenos Aires
. There he contacted the aviator Jorge Newbery
, who taught him to fly.
where he obtained the title of aviator pilot from the international aeronautic federation. Once he had received the title, he made many important flights, setting a record eight-hour flight.
He bought a Deperdussin model "T" monoplane with a 60 HP rotary Gnome engine. He made many famous and extraordinary acrobatic flights in Europe
, South America
and the United States.
In December 1914 he founded the "Aeroclub del Paraguay" and was named its president.
Asunción's Silvio Pettirossi International Airport
, three soccer clubs, the Airborne Brigade of the Paraguayan Air Force, a Paraguayan Air Force Base in Luque, an avenue in Asunción, the Paraguayan Institute of Aviation History, a school, and some other things are named after him.
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
and aviation pioneer.
Background
Born in AsunciónAsunción
Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...
on June 16, 1887 from Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
emigrants, as a young man he moved to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. There he contacted the aviator Jorge Newbery
Jorge Newbery
Jorge "George" Newbery, born Jorge Alejandro Newbery , was an Argentine pilot of North American descent. His father, Ralph Newbery , emigrated from Long Island, to Argentina after the American Civil War...
, who taught him to fly.
Aviation achievements
Pettirossi received a scholarship given by the Paraguayan government, and in 1912 moved to FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
where he obtained the title of aviator pilot from the international aeronautic federation. Once he had received the title, he made many important flights, setting a record eight-hour flight.
He bought a Deperdussin model "T" monoplane with a 60 HP rotary Gnome engine. He made many famous and extraordinary acrobatic flights in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and the United States.
In December 1914 he founded the "Aeroclub del Paraguay" and was named its president.
Death, and legacy
On October 17, 1916 while doing an inverted loop, the plane’s left wing broke and the aircraft crashed to the ground. Pettirossi died instantly, near the province of Buenos Aires.Asunción's Silvio Pettirossi International Airport
Silvio Pettirossi International Airport
-Incidents and accidents:*3 December 1945: an USAAF Douglas C-47B-5-DK registration 43-48602 flying from Asunción to Montevideo crashed 16km SE of Carlos Pellegrini, Argentina...
, three soccer clubs, the Airborne Brigade of the Paraguayan Air Force, a Paraguayan Air Force Base in Luque, an avenue in Asunción, the Paraguayan Institute of Aviation History, a school, and some other things are named after him.