Flying in the mountains

What it means to fly in the mountains

"Flying in the mountains is a story in itself," Alessandro explains. "First of all, you have to know the mountain. You have to imagine how the wind moves, anticipate the updrafts, the eddies, the sun rays that heat the air and create air bubbles or identify the areas where the cold wind creates currents that push you down. You have to know the elements and respect them."

It is not a challenge to nature, but a way of relating to it. It takes sensitivity, the ability to grasp the nuances of the environment.

"You have to calculate everything. Be attentive to every detail. You don't have the foliage of the trees to read the movement of the wind and so you have to observe other things, such as the behaviour of the cows in the pasture. Their position, their movement can give you valuable hints.

Extreme concentration, which nature can repay by offering itself in all its beauty.

"The thrill of seeing, while in the air, a sunset behind the Dolomites tinged with pink is something indescribable. You see the sun go down behind the peaks and colour the whole mountain red. From your plane you can catch all the nuances. It is like capturing the light. It is a brief but very intense moment. And it is all yours. You cannot share it, you can only describe it, but it is not the same thing."

IMAGINE BELOW:  1976 Marmolada 3050 mt 

Flying to help

Flying in the mountains is not an end in itself. From the first hot air balloon flights at the end of the 19^th century, to the attempts to land in the ice at the beginning of the 20^th century, flying in the mountains has always had a practical purpose.

First and foremost, that of rescuing mountaineers in difficulty, bringing them back to the valley or supplying them with food and medicine. Or as an opportunity to garrison territory and keep control of areas considered strategic. Like during World War II, when the first 'airfields' were established in the Alps, landing strips created between ice and rock faces.

Even today, when mountain rescues are mostly performed using helicopters, flying between the peaks still plays an important role, Alessandro explains.

"When we fly in the mountains we perform a reconnaissance role. We are the first to spot forest fires, so we can alert the fire brigade in good time. By the time you see the fire from the ground, it is too late'.

Almost a century has passed since the first flights in the mountains, yet the reason for flying has remained the same. As have the landing strips, narrow white patches between the rocks.

IMAGINE BELOW: 1974 Improvvisa Nevicata 

The pioneers of mountain flying

Short snow slopes, sometimes uphill, limited by rock and ice walls. Far away from everyone. This means that in the event of an accident, there are no rescuers ready to intervene.

This is what today's mountain flight pilots have in common with the pioneers of this discipline. Pilots such as the Swiss Hermann Geiger, the Frenchman Henry Giraud, or the Italian Corrado Gex. Not to mention pilots from Trentino, who were among the first in Europe to learn how to fly between peaks and land in high mountains.

Men like Rodolfo 'Rudy' Benini, who played a key role in the genesis of the National Mountain Flying School and to whom we owe the design of Trento's new southern airport.

Umberto Venturini, director from 1975 to 1986 of the National Mountain Flying School in Trento. A pilot, photojournalist and reporter in the air, through his camera he left precious evidence of flying in the mountains of Trentino.

Major Giuseppe "Beppino" Dellai, historical instructor at the Aero Club of Trento in the late 1960s. A G91 pilot based in Treviso, at the end of his service as Complementary Pilot Officer, he left the Armed Forces and returned to civilian life. Several times courted by Alitalia, he accepted to be an instructor at the Trento Aero Club. In 2019, he was appointed Honorary Member of the Italian Mountain Pilots Association.

Mario Marangoni, awarded the Knight of Labour award, was President of the Aero Club of Trento from 1978 to 1982 and appointed, in 2002, President of the Italian Mountain Pilots Association and honorary member since 2011. President and member of several Foundations and Financial and Research Associations, in 2005 he entered the TIA Hall of Fame in Las Vegas.

The tradition is still alive today, thanks to the commitment of people like Alessandro Marangoni, Mario's grandson and a great aviation enthusiast. Besides being a mountain pilot, Alessandro restores and brings vintage aircraft back to life. Among the highlights of his collection is a replica of a historic Caproni Ca.100.

The perfect link between the present of aviation and a glorious past.

To discover the history of flight, you can visit the Gianni Caproni Aeronautical Museum in Trento or take part in the Kilometro Azzurro initiatives. Their highlight is Festivolare, an airshow that celebrates the world of aviation and every year attracts thousands of people of all ages to Trento airport.

Two days in which, between air shows, aircraft exhibitions and meetings with pilots, planes of the present and of the past come to life, to tell a story of courage, passion and love for the mountains.