|
A mammoth reception was given, with Mussolini, Balbo, and representatives of the Crown warmly receiving the aviators as they at last stepped upon the soil of their homeland. At the banquet that followed, Balbo conferred upon Pinedo the sobriquet of Lord of Distances, and soon gramophones in the Little Italies of America were crackling out a stirring, musical account of his journey, 'O Volo 'e De Pinedo, romantically performed in dialect by Neapolitan songstress Gilda Mignonette. "He returned to Rome in victory", the verses concluded, "and the whole world now speaks of him!". | |||
| Pinedo was a hero, but Lindbergh was evolving into a demigod | But in truth, the aviator of whom the whole world was speaking was the American Charles Lindbergh, not Col. Francesco De Pinedo of the Regia Aeronautica Italiana. The Italian press worked hard reminding the public that Pinedo hadn't set out to win a race. Every purpose of his goodwill tour had been fulfilled with qualified success. Having logged 29,180 miles, he had racked up an impressive list of achievements, and Italians had every right to be as proud of their hero as the Americans were of theirs. Regia Aeronautica recruitment posters were already echoing the point, displaying his image and asking young men, "Don't you want to be another de Pinedo?" Outside of Italy, though, few were paying attention. Pinedo was a hero, but Lindbergh was evolving into a demigod, with most of the world still caught up in the euphoria of his feat. | |||
| Lucky Lindy wasn't the only man who flew an airplane in 1927. |
The British government, in an admirable show of good sportsmanship, did present the Neapolitan with its Air Force Cross "for distinguished service to aviation". This decoration, also bestowed on Lindbergh just weeks before, was normally reserved for British flyers, and it was indeed a rare occurrence for it to be awarded to two foreign pilots in such a short span of time. But many Britons were annoyed with all the adulation being heaped on Lindbergh while their own transatlantic flyers Alcock and Brown hadn't received half as much eight years earlier. Like the Italians, they, too, might have wanted to remind everyone that Lucky Lindy wasn't the only man who flew an airplane in 1927. But the immutable fact remained that Lindbergh's swift, one-day, triumph totally overshadowed the four month effort of the Italian flyers. Pinedo's return flight had been anti-climatic. A conqueror of the gravest challenges, he was defeated by bad timing and has been penalized by obscurity ever since. |
|||
| all voyages would be conducted by whole squadrons... |
Promoted to the rank of General, Pinedo was quietly absorbed back into the bureaucratic framework of the Regia Aeronautica, assigned once again to the desk and file cabinet world of an administrative position. Meanwhile, Balbo was making it clear that the government would not support any future flights that involved a single aircraft. The Regia Aeronautica would still sponsor goodwill tours, but all such voyages would be henceforth conducted by whole squadrons of planes to more closely reflect Fascist Italy’s growing military strength and unity of purpose. |
|||
|
If Pinedo had any urges to recapture a prominent place in aviation history, he would have to satisfy them on his own. That was precisely what he intended to do when he resigned from the Regia Aeronautica in 1933. Traveling under the transparent pseudonym of "Mr. Smith", he arrived in United States, purchased a Bellanca monoplane and dropped hints to the press of his plan to set a new long distance record by flying non-stop from New York to Baghdad. |
||||
| ... the Bellanca and its ill-starred pilot vanished in a burst of flames. |
Initiated at dawn on September 3, the attempt ended abruptly and tragically when Pinedo lost control of his plane during takeoff from Bennet Field. The Bellanca, laden with more than a thousand gallons of fuel, skidded off the pavement and crashed into a steel fence adjacent to the runway. Pinedo was literally hurled from the cockpit on impact, but quickly got on his feet and rushed back to shut off the engine of his smoldering plane. The fuel vapors ignited just as he climbed up to reach the control panel, and the Bellanca and its ill-starred pilot vanished in a burst of flames. |
|||
|
The U.S. Government and the City of New York sponsored an imposing memorial service for Pinedo, with his remains being carried in a solemn procession to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, while a squadron of American military planes circled overhead. The coffin was then placed aboard the Italian liner Vulcania and taken back to his homeland for burial with full military honors. |
||||
|
Thank you, dear reader, for your interest. If you would like to help so that the forgotten hero does not remain such, as well as sponsoring other astonishing heritage discoveries please click here...
|
