Francesco de Pinedo
He entered the new service with a rank of tenente colonnello (lieutenant colonel) and because of his technical and organizational skills was given senior positions as its chief staff officer and the vice commandant of one of its air squadrons despite being only in his early 30s.[4][6] By 1925, Pinedo's advocacy of the seaplane and its capability to make global air travel feasible led to him being regarded as Italy's leading expert on aviation matters, especially after he presented a paper to the Royal Aeronautical Society in London and published an article in National Geographic magazine.They stopped first at Brindisi in Italy, then at Leros in Greece; Baghdad in Iraq; Bushehr and Chabar in Persia; Karachi, Bombay, Cocanada, and Calcutta in British India; Akyab, Rangoon, Tavoy, and Mergui in Burma; Phuket in Siam; Penang in British Malaya; Singapore; Batavia, Surabaya, Sumbawa, and Kupang in the Netherlands East Indies, and Broome, Carnarvon, Perth, Bunbury, Albany, Israelite Bay, and Adelaide in Australia before reaching Melbourne, where they arrived on 10 June and spent 36 days.Resuming their flight on 6 August, they visited Brisbane, Rockhampton, Townsville, Innisfail, Cooktown, and Thursday Island in Australia; Merauke, Dobo, Amboina, and Menado in the Netherlands East Indies; Cebu, Atimonan, Manila, and Aparri in the Philippines; Tamsui on Formosa; Shanghai in China; Mokpo in Korea; and Yamakawa and Kagoshima in Japan, before arriving in Tokyo on 26 September.[7][8][9] After a three-week stay in Tokyo, Pinedo and Campanelli began their return journey to Rome on October 17, a 15,000-mile (24,000-km) trip that they made in only 22 days – an impressive speed at the time – with stops at Kagoshima in Japan; Shanghai in China; Hong Kong; Haiphong and Saigon in French Indochina; Bangkok in Siam; Rangoon in Burma; Calcutta, Benares, Delhi, and Karachi in British India; Bandar Abbas in Persia; Baghdad in Iraq; Alexandretta in Turkey; and Taranto in Italy before arriving in Rome on 7 November.On 23 February, they finally made their Atlantic crossing, braving a storm and landing on the ocean near Fernando de Noronha, where the Brazilian Navy protected cruiser Almirante Barroso met them and towed them into port.Pinedo was forced to land the Santa Maria II on the ocean and be taken under tow by a Portuguese fishing boat and an Italian steamer for the final 200 miles (322 km) to the Azores, where the plane arrived at Horta on May 30.[7][12] After a week of repairs, the three Italian aviators were airborne again in the Santa Maria II, flying back to the point in the Atlantic where they had been taken under tow, and then finishing their transatlantic flight from there.After stops in Portugal and Spain, Pinedo, Del Prete, and Zacchetti completed the "Four Continents" flight on 16 June 1927, landing Santa Maria II in Ostia's harbor outside Rome.Regia Aeronautica General Italo Balbo relied heavily on Pinedo's advice when planning and executing the mass formation flights – intended to improve the operational skills of Regia Aeronautica aircrews and ground crewmen, showcase the Italian aviation industry to potential foreign buyers of Italian-made aircraft, and enhance the prestige of Benito Mussolini's Italian Fascist government – for which Balbo became famous.Promoted to generale di divisione aerea (air divisional general) and made deputy chief of staff of the Regia Aeronautica, Pinedo joined Balbo in leading the second mass-formation flight, a 3,300-mile (5,314-km) circuit of the Eastern Mediterranean in June 1929 by 35 Regia Aeronautica seaplanes – 32 Savoia-Marchetti S.55s, two Savoia-Marchetti S.59s, and one CANT 22 – with stops at Taranto, Italy; Athens, Greece; Istanbul, Turkey; Varna, Bulgaria; Odessa in the Soviet Union; and Constanta, Romania.[13] When Pinedo attempted to take off from Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York, on 2 September 1933 for his flight to Baghdad with his Bellanca overloaded with fuel, he lost control of the aircraft.Thrown from his seat, Pinedo quickly attempted to reach back to the controls in order to turn off the smoldering plane's engine, but at the same moment, fuel vapors ignited.
NaplesBrooklynNew YorkKingdom of ItalyRegia MarinaRegia AeronauticaAir divisional generalItalo-Turkish WarWorld War IFAI Gold Air MedalAir Force Crossaviatorseaplaneflying boatItalian Naval AcademyLivornodestroyersOttoman EmpireAlliesTarantoNetherlandsBrindisiConstantinoplelieutenant colonelsquadronsflying boatsmarinasRoyal Aeronautical SocietyLondonNational GeographicFascistBenito MussoliniArturo FerrarinGuido MasieroAnsaldo SVA-9trainersAustraliaSIAI S.16terGreeceBaghdadBushehrChabarPersiaKarachiBombayCocanadaCalcuttaBritish IndiaRangoonMerguiPhuketPenangBritish MalayaSingaporeBataviaSurabayaSumbawaKupangNetherlands East IndiesBroomeCarnarvonBunburyAlbanyIsraelite BayAdelaideMelbourneSydneyBrisbaneRockhamptonTownsvilleInnisfailCooktownThursday IslandMeraukeAmboinaMenadoAtimonanManilaAparriPhilippinesTamsuiFormosaShanghaiYamakawaKagoshimaHong KongHaiphongSaigonFrench IndochinaBangkokBenaresBandar AbbasAlexandrettaTurkeyIndian SubcontinentamphibiousFlightFédération Aéronautique InternationalecolonelKing Victor Emmanuel IIImarquisWestern HemisphereAfricaAtlantic OceanBrazilSouth AmericaCaribbeanUnited StatesCanadatransatlantic flightEuropeCaptainCarlo Del PreteSavoia-Marchetti S.55CagliariSardiniaVilla CisnerosSpanish SaharaBolamaPortuguese GuineagasolineCape Verde IslandsFernando de NoronhaBrazilian Navyprotected cruiserAlmirante Barroso