A lieutenant founds a factory

Ottorino Pomilio, born in Chieti in 1887, studied engineering in Naples and aeronautics in Paris. In May 1916, as an army lieutenant in the middle of the war, he founded and ran his own aircraft company in Turin. The army gave him a helper from his home region: Corradino D’Ascanio, who would later design the Vespa scooter for Piaggio. D’Ascanio worked on fighter and bomber designs with Pomilio during the war, long before he turned to helicopters and scooters.

Fast and unstable

The Pomilio two-seat scouts arrived in spring 1917 and were faster than most rivals. The first, the PC, proved dangerously unstable, and only about 70 were made. The PD added fins and 431 were built, including 93 dual-control trainers because the type was hard to fly. The fully cowled PE followed in October 1917 and was produced in the largest numbers. Pomilio aircraft served in about 30 Italian squadrons. Changes continued throughout the PE’s production run.

Sold, and off to America

Pomilio’s fame spread across the Atlantic, where its aircraft had helped Allied recruiting tours. In 1918 the brothers Ottorino and Ernesto Pomilio sold the company to Ansaldo and emigrated to the United States. Ottorino died in Rome in 1957. Their aircraft had already made the brothers famous there, after Pomilio machines took part in Allied recruiting tours across America. Ottorino was invited by the US government to help its aviation programme, and later published a book on aeroplane design and construction.

Заводы

• Туринские работы · Turin, Piedmont — Company factory 1916–1918

Люди

• Ottorino Pomilio · founder, engineer — Born Chieti 1887, died Rome 1957; emigrated to the US in 1918
• Ernesto Pomilio · co-owner — Brother who sold the firm and emigrated with Ottorino
• Corradino D’Ascanio · engineer — Assigned by the army to work with Pomilio; later designed the Vespa