Antonio Ferri
Antonio Ferri (born April 5, 1912 in Fiastra , Marken , † December 28, 1975 in Long Island , USA ) was an Italian aerospace engineer . He was one of the pioneers of supersonic and hypersonic flight .
Life
Ferri studied aeronautical engineering at the University of Rome and in 1935 joined the engineering corps of the Italian Air Force as a first lieutenant , which deployed him at their research center in Guidonia Montecelio near Rome. Here he worked with scientists such as Gaetano Arturo Crocco and Luigi Broglio . Ferri's research focused on aerodynamics , for which he could use four wind tunnels . He led the construction of a supersonic wind tunnel , in which he carried out spectacular experiments until 1940. He also worked on jet engines and on remote-controlled cargo gliders armed with torpedoes .
After an armistice between Italy and the Allies came into effect in September 1943 , the German Wehrmacht also occupied Rome . Ferri managed to save a number of important documents from Guidonia, which had been destroyed by the war, and then made his way to his central Italian hometown Fiastra. There he joined the Italian Resistance ( Resistance ) and eventually became the leader of a partisan brigade that operated with a British special unit ( Vladimir Popsky's private army ) near Camerino in June 1944 . Shortly thereafter, US agent Moe Berg invited him to work at American research institutions. The suggestion for this came from the Hungarian-German-American scientist Theodore von Kármán , who was familiar with Ferri's experiments and work on aerodynamics. Ferri accepted the invitation and worked in the post-war period at the Langley Research Center , at various universities and for several companies. Since 1967 he was a member of the National Academy of Engineering .
Ferri died in the United States on December 28, 1975. His urn was buried in his hometown Fiastra in the Marche region.
literature
- Antonio Ferri: Elements of Aerodynamics of Supersonic Flows. Dover Publications 2005, ISBN 0486442802 .
- Antonio Ferri: Investigations and experiments in the supersonic wind tunnel at Guidonia. Lilienthal Society, Berlin 1938.
Individual evidence
- ^ Members Directory: Antonio Ferri. National Academy of Engineering, accessed June 9, 2017 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ferri, Antonio |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian aerospace engineer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 5, 1912 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Fiastra , brands |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 28, 1975 |
| Place of death | Long Island , USA |