Carlo Del Prete
Carlo Del Prete | |
---|---|
Born | Lucca, Italy | 21 August 1897
Died | 16 August 1928 Brazil | (aged 30)
Buried | Italy |
Allegiance | Kingdom of Italy |
Service/ | Regia Marina (? -1923) Regia Aeronautica (1923-1928) |
Years of service | 1916 -1928 |
Rank | Maggiore (Major) |
Battles/wars |
Carlo Del Prete (21 August 1897 – 16 August 1928) was a pioneer aviator from Italy.
Early career
Born in Lucca, Italy,[1] Del Prete joined the Regia Marina (Italy's Royal Navy) and served aboard submarines during World War I. After the war ended in 1918, he became interested in aviation, and in 1922 he qualified as a pilot. He transferred to the Regia Aeronautica (Italy's Royal Air Force) when it was created in 1923 and earned a reputation as a skilled navigator.[1][2]
Del Prete met fellow aviator Francesco de Pinedo during their navy service together, and the two became friends. Del Prete helped Pinedo prepare for a six-month Rome-Australia-Tokyo-Rome flight Pinedo made with mechanic Ernesto Campanelli in 1925.
Record flights
1927 "Four Continents" flight
In 1927, Del Prete joined Pinedo and mechanic Vitale Zacchetti in flying the
After stops at various cities in South America including
After a stop at
The new plane – identical to the Santa Maria – arrived in New York by ship on 1 May 1927, and, after reassembly, was christened Santa Maria II on 8 May. Following a revised schedule that eliminated all stops west of the
Pinedo, Del Prete, and Zacchetti flew on to the Dominion of Newfoundland. On 22 May, they departed Trepassey Bay, planning to cross the Atlantic to the Azores, refuel, and then fly on to Portugal, retracing the transatlantic route of the United States Navy Curtiss NC-4 flying boat in 1919, but they ran low on fuel due to unfavorable weather. 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 (320 km) to the Azores, where the plane arrived at Horta on May 30.[3][5]
After a week of repairs, the three Italian aviators were airborne again, 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. Their 29,180-mile (46,989-kilometer) flight had taken 123 days.[3][6]
1928 distance records
On 31 May 1928, Arturo Ferrarin and Del Prete – by then a maggiore (major) in the Regia Aeronautica – began a nonstop flight in the Savoia-Marchetti S.64 involving 51 round trips between Torre Flavia (in Ladispoli) and Anzio that broke three world records.[7] When they finally landed on 3 June, they had covered 7,666 km (4,763 mi) – a new world distance record over a closed circuit – and stayed aloft for 58 hours 34 minutes – a new world endurance record.[7][8] Moreover, they also set the world record for average speed over a distance of 5,000 km (3,100 mi) of 139 km/h (86 mph).[7][8] With the record attempt successfully concluded, an announcement was made that this was to be a proving exercise for a Rome–New York City transatlantic flight.[9]
The following month Ferrarin and Del Prete did indeed cross the Atlantic in the S.64, not to New York, but across the South Atlantic to Brazil. Departing
A Brazilian mail plane conveyed Ferrarin and Del Prete first to Natal and then to Rio de Janeiro, where in both cities they were given a heroes' welcome.[11] The S.64 suffered structural damage during its landing on the sand, and was brought to Rio de Janeiro by ship.[11][13] When it arrived in the city, it was donated to Brazil.[13]
Death
The festivities in Rio de Janeiro continued for weeks, but came to an end when Ferrarin and Del Prete crashed during a demonstration flight in a Savoia-Marchetti SM.62 on 8 August 1928.[13] Del Prete died from his injuries five days later in Brazil.[13] He was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal of Aeronautic Valor.[14]
Memorial in Rio de Janeiro
A monument honoring Del Prete and the Savoia-Marchetti S.64's flight was built in the Praça Carlo del Prete in Laranjeiras, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It consists of a statue of Del Prete and a 1:2 scale bronze model of the aircraft.
Notes
- ^ a b earlyaviators.com CARLO DEL PRETE 1897-1928
- ^ Sircana, Giuseppe (1990). Del Prete, Carlo". Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, Vol. 38. Online version retrieved 17 June 2018 (in Italian).
- ^ a b c d e f g "italystl.com De Pinedo's Milestone Flights Australia - Japan - America". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
- ^ Anonymous, "Pinedo's Big Flight," Flight, February 27, 1927, p. 87.
- ^ Anonymous, "Pinedo's Progress," Flight, June 2, 1927, p. 360.
- ^ "italystl.com The Forgotten Hero". Archived from the original on 2012-02-09. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
- ^ a b c Ferrante 2004, p.110
- ^ a b c "List of records established by the 'Savoia Marchetti S-64'"
- ^ "Italian Air Record" p.420
- ^ a b Ferrante 2004, p.111
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "The Rome–Brazil Non-Stop Flight", p.594
- ^ a b Ferrante 2004, p.112
- ^ a b c d e Pescucci, pag 73
- ^ Il Tirreno (24 June 2013). "Azzurri in campo a Natal dove atterrò l'aviatore Del Prete" Archived 2018-06-17 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 17 June 2018 (in Italian).
References
- Pescucci, Paolo "Carlo del Prete : Eroe senza tempo, Medaglia D’Oro al Valore Aeronautico", Amazon, 2023, ISBN 979-8374513998
- Ferrante, Ovidio (2004). "Il primato italiano di distanza in volo rettolineo" (PDF). Revista Aeronautica (4): 106–113. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
- "Italian Air Record". Flight: 420. 7 June 1928. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
- "List of records established by the 'Savoia Marchetti S-64'". Fédération Aéronautique Internationale: The World Air Sports Federation. Archived from the original on 2007-06-11. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
- "The Rome–Brazil Non-Stop Flight". Flight: 594–95. 12 July 1928. Retrieved 2009-02-19.