First time over the Tibesti
The Colonial Air Tour of Italo Balbo by Giorgio Baccinelli The Air Tour of Southern Libya took place from June 15 to June 28, 1931. This air cruise is little known and was far less significant internationally than Balbo’s Atlantic cruises. Its purpose was to fly over the Tibesti mountain range, a mountainous terrain in the center of the Sahara Desert, which had become a contentious subject between Italy and France. The French, taking advantage of the war against the insurgents in Cyrenaica, had made some territorial claims and created several military outposts in Southern Libya, where the inclement weather of the area allowed it. The flight left from Ostia and consisted of three S.62bis seaplanes, powered by Isotta Fraschini 750 cv (740 hp) engines. An S.62 seaplane The first seaplane was flown by Italo Balbo himself, with May...