Furio Lauri
Furio Lauri (born October 11, 1918 in Zara, today Zadar in Croatia , † October 2, 2002 in Rome ) was an Italian fighter pilot of World War II . He was confirmed 18 personal victories in the air, others were "collectivized" (ie awarded to his unit) according to the procedure of the Italian Air Force . After the war, he worked as an aircraft manufacturer.
Life
Lauri joined the Regia Aeronautica in 1939 after studying law and completed his pilot training at the fighter pilot school in Castiglione del Lago ( Umbria ). During the Second World War he flew obsolete Fiat CR.42 biplanes until the end of 1941 , with which he shot down a total of eleven enemy fighter planes. In 1942 and 1943 he fought with planes of the type Fiat G.50 , Macchi MC.202 and Macchi MC.205 . Lauri took part in the Battle of Tunisia , where he was shot down by the air defense, but was able to get to safety.
After an armistice with the Allies came into force on September 8, 1943 , Lauri decided to fight at their side against the Germans who had immediately occupied Italy . Until 1945 he mainly flew missions in support of northern Italian partisans . For several daring special missions in which he ended up behind the so-called Gothic position , he received the highest military order in Italy. Lauri retired from active service as a major in 1947 .
Immediately after returning to civilian life, he and a few other pilots founded the company Meteor SpA in Trieste , which first rebuilt Trieste airport and mainly repaired decommissioned US aircraft there. Until 1953, the Dobbiaco airfield in South Tyrol was also taken care of . In the 1950s Lauris company mainly built gliders ( Falco, Gabbiano, Canguro ), then also light aircraft ( FL-53, 54, 55; MS-30 ), among others as a licensee of the German company Scheibe-Flugzeugbau GmbH . In the military sector, it mainly produced drones (including the Mirach series ) and temporarily became one of the world market leaders here. After the military division was taken over by the Finmeccanica group in 1985 , Lauri changed the company name to Iniziative Industriali Italiane (3I) , relocated the company headquarters to Rome and concentrated on the construction of light aircraft (including Sky Arrow ) and boats.
See also
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lauri, Furio |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian pilot in World War II |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 11, 1918 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Zadar |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 2, 2002 |
| Place of death | Rome |