1930 D’Ascanio
D’AT3 Helicopter
Corradino D’Ascanio (1891-1981) was interested in flight at an early age and became a mechanical engineer in 1914. He initially specialized in aircraft engine testing, a new and demanding field. In the interwar years, using his helicopter patents, he designed and built the D’AT3, a coaxial helicopter with very original helicopter controls. The D’AT3 flew for the first time in 1930 at Ciampino Airport, near Rome. On a flight monitored by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), it broke, and held for some time, helicopter class records on speed, altitude, distance and endurance. A true helicopter pioneer, D’Ascanio is also known as the “Father of the Scooter” for inventing the Piaggio Vespa and the Ape, the progenitor of the autorickshaw.
See the AHS YouTube Channel for a video of the D'AT3.
Go back to the photo for last month or check out the photo for next month