Donatella Ricci (Italian pronunciation Do'natɛlla Ree-chee / riːʧi) born in

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, ...

, is an Italian astrophysicist, sport pilot of ultralight aircraft, holder of the world altitude record with gyroplane,

hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carri ...

autogyro An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), gyroscope, gyrocopter or gyroplane, is a class of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. A gyroplane "means a rotorcraft whose rotors are not engine-d ...

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

pilot, founder of FlyDonna international meeting women in aviation and aeronautics, President of Italian Association ADA Donne dell'Aria, founded by Fiorenza de Bernardi, author and TEDx speaker.

Career

Ricci graduated from

Sapienza University of Rome The Sapienza University of Rome (), formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", abbreviated simply as Sapienza ('Wisdom'), is a Public university, public research university located in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1303 and is ...

with a PhD in

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline, James Keeler, said, astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the ...

, and completed internships research on black holes at

Goddard Space Flight Center The Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is a major NASA space research laboratory located approximately northeast of Washington, D.C., in Greenbelt, Maryland, United States. Established on May 1, 1959, as NASA's first space flight center, GSFC ...

, California, USA. At young age Ricci developed interest for flight. Enchanted by hot-air balloons, she soon trains in the Italian Alps

Mondovì Mondovì (; , ) is a town and ''comune'' (township) in Piedmont, northern Italy, about from Turin. The area around it is known as the Monregalese. The town, located on the Monte Regale hill, is divided into several '' rioni'' (ancient quart ...

, where international

Hot air balloon festival Hot air balloon festivals are held annually in many places throughout the year, allowing hot air balloons operators to gather- as well as for the general public- to participate in various activities.They can include races; evening "night glows", ...

is held every year. While her professional career unfolded in the aerospace industry, Ricci cultivated her passion for flight and became PR Chairlady of

Fédération Aéronautique Internationale The World Air Sports Federation (; FAI) is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It maintains worl ...

, and the first female president of the Italian Hot-Air Balloon Association, and in 2001 all the way towards space when she was one of the first Italian female candidates to reach the final selections for astronauts of the

European Space Agency The European Space Agency (ESA) is a 23-member International organization, international organization devoted to space exploration. With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,547 people globally as of 2023, ESA was founded in 1975 ...

(ESA). One of her colleagues became an astronaut. Nevertheless, her desire to make the dream of flying accessible to an ever-larger number of women, made Ricci the founder of FlyDonna, an international meeting for women working in aviation and aerospace industry, held in Italy. Flydonna joined the Federation of European Women Pilots, founded in Rome in 1995. She was also president of Associazione Donne dell' Aria (Assoc. Women of the Air). Currently Ricci is

Leonardo S.p.A. Leonardo S.p.A., formerly Leonardo-Finmeccanica and originally Finmeccanica, is an Italian multinational company specialising in aerospace, defence and security. Headquartered in Rome, the company has 180 sites worldwide. It is the 12th largest ...

helicopter division program manager, near Venice; cultivates her passion for flight and promotes its benefits on occasion of public appearances and at the flight school where she is a flight trainer.

Book

Ricci is a speaker and has written a book about her achievement ''World Record for a Gyroplane: 27,556 feet above the ground'' Donatella Ricci (author),

Samantha Cristoforetti Samantha Cristoforetti (; born 26 April 1977) is an Italian European Astronaut Corps, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut, former Italian Air Force pilot and engineer. She is the second of two Women in space, women sent into space by ESA and ...

(foreword). With her book, Ricci wishes her experience and accomplishments to be of benefit for flight enthusiasts and pilots alike. During the months-long preparation and testing, many were the questions she had to find answers to, as she was preparing for a journey with a standard gyroplane MagniGyro M16 at altitudes never attempted.

Book versions

Donatella Ricci (author) Samantha Cristoforetti (foreword) * * *

Awards

For remarkable flying achievements in General Aviation, obtaining engineering advancements and important insights on life support systems in exceptional conditions, Donatella Ricci has been awarded by prestigious institutions *

Royal Aeronautical Society The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a British multi-disciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community. Founded in 1866, it is the oldest Aeronautics, aeronautical society in the world. Memb ...

Specialist Award *

Honourable Company of Air Pilots The Honourable Company of Air Pilots, formerly the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators (GAPAN), is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Company was founded in 1929, and became a Livery Company in 1956. Elizabeth II granted ...

Myles Bickerton Trophy

World records

Near

Jesolo Jesolo (; ) is a seaside resort town and ''comune'' of 26,873 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy. With around 5.5 million visitors per year, Jesolo ranks second among beach resorts in the country for number of tourists, and t ...

and

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, from Caposile airfield flying a MagniGyro M16 gyroplane, Donatella Ricci sets a total of nine world records in one flight as per Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.

References

TEDx Padova "Falsi Miti"- TEDx Padova "Nessun limite eccetto il cielo" {{DEFAULTSORT:Ricci, Donatella Living people Italian astrophysicists Italian aviation record holders Sapienza University of Rome alumni Scientists from Rome Italian women aviators 1963 births