Francesco De Pinedo

Napoli, 1890-New York, 1933

The Transoceanic Flights and the Decennial Air Cruise

Aspiring to become a midshipman, he fights in Libya (1911-1912) and in WWI. In 1917 he obtains two licences (as pilot and for seaplanes). In the post-war period (1923), he is a Corvette Captain of the Italian Royal Air Force. As a Lieutenant-Colonel, in 1925 he performs the Italy-Australia transoceanic flight (55,000 km) on a SIAI S.16 ter seaplane. In 1927, together with Carlo Del Prete and Vitale Zacchetti, he performs his most famous feat, the flight across the two Americas. As an Air Commodore (1927), he commands the 3rd air zone. Having had a dispute with Italo Balbo, he is assigned to the Italian Embassy in Buenos Aires as air attaché. He dies in New York in and airplane crash. Gold Medal of Aeronautic Valor.

Bibliographical references
Mencarelli, Igino | 1969 Francesco De Pinedo. Roma: Ufficio storico aeronautica militare.

Pecchioli, Arrigo | 1986 (a cura di) L’aeronautica italiana: storia di uomini e macchine. Roma: Editalia.