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The French Connection

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      As our readers know, the distinguished career of Dr. Filippo Zappata (1894-1994) also included a brief period in France.     The aircraft on the cover is a  Blériot 110 (in its final configuration with a four-blade propeller), which was a record airplane designed by Zappata during his stay in France. The B. 110 is the subject of this translation, nonetheless the post is an opportunity to explore, albeit not much in depth, the connection between the famous French aviator and his company and the "ingénieur italien."       Zappata l’italien     By Giulio Cesare Valdonio     Translated by L. Pavese       As our readers know, the distinguished career of Dr. Filippo Zappata (1894-1994) also included a brief period in France.      The level of contacts that Dr. Zappata had established in France is unknown, but they were high enough that he was invited with the crè...
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Il quasi sconosciuto Signor Nel-Mezzo

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In inglese americano, un "bit", prima che la parola venisse cooptata dall'informatica, stava a significare un ottavo di dollaro. Quindi "a dollar and six bits" vuol dire un dollaro e 75, e cioe 175 centesimi. "Il Dollar-Six-Bits della Cessna" era il titolo di questo vecchio articolo che ho tradotto, riguardante il Cessna 175, un aereo da trasporto personale che mi è sempre piaciuto e che avrebbe meritato più successo. Noi lo definiremmo un "Tappabuchi" o, come lo chiama LeRoy Cook nel suo articolo, un Signor Nel-Mezzo" o "Mister Fra i due". Nel 1998, quando questo articolo, tratto dalla rivista "Private Pilot", fu pubblicato, il Cessna 175 sarebbe stata un'ottima scelta per un pilota che cercasse un aereo da turismo o da trasporto personale dall'acquisto e dall'esercizio economico. Adesso probabilmente la scelta migliore si troverebbe fra i velivoli "autocostruiti". Ma il Cessna 175 rimane sempre...
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The Airplanes and Gliders of Adriano Mantelli

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             It is not really important if none, or almost none, of Mantelli’s creations enjoyed much commercial success; they were all very interesting from a technical point of view, and the fruits of a wide-ranging activity that only a very competent, passionate and determined person could have realized.         The Airplanes and Gliders of Adriano Mantelli        by Giuseppe Blini In the international and Italian aviation panorama few are the people who sum up in themselves the gifts of an ace fighter pilot, test pilot, record-setting man and designer and builder of aircraft. Several articles have already been written about him. One appeared on the pages of this magazine about thirty years ago. After so long, we thought it would be interesting to bring to the attention of today’s readers Adriano Mantelli’s activity as a designer and builder of aircraft, in parallel with his bri...
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