Guidonia Air Base (, ICAO: LIRG) is a military airport in
Guidonia Montecelio
Guidonia Montecelio (), commonly known as Guidonia, is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Lazio, central Italy.
Geography
The municipality of Guidonia Montecelio, formed by the main towns of Guidonia and Montecelio, l ...
,
Province of Rome
The province of Rome () was one of the five provinces that formed part of the Lazio region of Italy. It was established in 1870 and disestablished in 2014. It was essentially coterminous with the Rome metropolitan area. The city of Rome was t ...
, near
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
. It is home to the
Italian Air Force
The Italian Air Force (; AM, ) is the air force of the Italy, Italian Republic. The Italian Air Force was founded as an independent service arm on 28 March 1923 by Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, King Victor Emmanuel III as the ("Royal Air Force ...
's main logistic center.
History
The airport was built between 1915 and 1916, intended to accommodate a
flying school
Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills.
Flight training can be conducted under a str ...
where
pilots
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators because they are ...
trained during the 1st G.M. After the end of the conflict it initially became a depot for aircraft no longer used for war purposes and then became the headquarters of an experimental squadron.
The research, study and experimentation activities for technological innovation and the affirmation of the potential of the newly formed Royal Air Force, established as an armed force on March 28, 1923, underwent a strong boost in the 1920s, when aeronautical records were an excellent investment in image on the international stage.
Following the construction of the new airport, it included the facilities of the Higher Directorate of Studies and Experiences, as well as the Experimental Flight Center, present today at the
Pratica di Mare Air Base, and the Aircraft Construction Plant, for the development and construction of the new aircraft.
Gallery
File:Aeroporto di Montecelio nel 1934.jpg, Aerial view of Alfredo Barbieri airport in Montecelio (1934)
File:Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor MM61743 Aeronautica Militare.jpg, A Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor
The Beechcraft Model 18 (or "Twin Beech", as it is also known) is a 6- to 11-seat, twin-engined, low-wing, tailwheel light aircraft manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. Continuously produced from 1937 to November ...
from the Aircooperation School in a 1980 photo
See also
*
List of airports in Italy
This is a list of airports in Italy, grouped by region and sorted by location.
Overview
Italy is the fifth in Europe by number of passengers by air transport, with about 148 million passengers or about 10% of the European total in 2011. Most o ...
References
Airports in Italy
Buildings and structures in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital
{{Italy-airport-stub