Filippo Zappata (6 July 1894 – 30 August 1994) was an
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
engineer and aircraft designer.
Zappata was born in
Ancona
Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic S ...
. He worked for
Gabardini,
Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico
Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico ("United Shipbuilders of the Adriatic") was an Italian manufacturer in the sea and air industry which was active from 1930 to 1966. This shipyard is now owned by Fincantieri.
History
In 1930, Stabilimento Tecnic ...
(CANT),
Blériot,
Breda
Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...
, and
Agusta
Agusta was an Italian helicopter manufacturer. It was based in Samarate, Northern Italy. The company was founded by Count Giovanni Agusta in 1923, who flew his first airplane in 1907. The MV Agusta motorcycle manufacturer began as an offshoot o ...
, In the 1930s he designed a series of successful multi-engined hydroplanes such as the
CANT Z.501
The CANT Z.501 ''Gabbiano'' (Italian language, Italian: ''Gull'')
was a high-wing central-hull flying boat, with two outboard floats. It was powered by a single engine installed in the middle of the main-planeAngelucci and Matricardi 1978, p. 18 ...
flying boat,
CANT Z.506
The CANT Z.506 ''Airone'' ( Italian: Heron) was a trimotor floatplane produced by CANT from 1935. It served as a transport and postal aircraft with the Italian airline "Ala Littoria". It established 10 world records in 1936 and another 10 in 19 ...
floatplane, and
CANT Z.1007 medium bomber. In association with test pilot
Mario Stoppani
Mario Stoppani (24 May 1895 – 20 September 1959) was an Italian World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories. His valor earned him two Silver awards of the Medal for Military Valor and the Russian Cross of St. George during World W ...
, Zappata's designs flew 15 first flights and set 41 world aeronautical records.
In the 1940s he designed a large four-engined
airliner
An airliner is a type of aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an ...
, the
Breda-Zappata BZ.308, but the project was abandoned and never produced.
He died at
Gallarate
Gallarate (; Lombard: ''Galaraa'') is a city and ''comune'' of Alto Milanese of Lombardy and of Milan metropolitan area, northern Italy, in the Province of Varese. It has a population of some 54,000 people.
It is the junction of railways to Va ...
in 1994 at the age of 100.
Endnotes
Sources
*
Franks, Norman; Guest, Russell; Alegi, Gregory. ''Above the War Fronts: The British Two-seater Bomber Pilot and Observer Aces, the British Two-seater Fighter Observer Aces, and the Belgian, Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Fighter Aces, 1914–1918: Volume 4 of Fighting Airmen of WWI Series: Volume 4 of Air Aces of WWI''. Grub Street, 1997. , .
1894 births
1994 deaths
People from Ancona
Italian aerospace engineers
Italian centenarians
{{Italy-scientist-stub