Volandia

History

During a conference held at the Castello Visconti in San Vito, in Somma Lombardo, on 11 November 2006, a project was launched for the establishment of a large aeronautical museum to be built at the former Officine Caproni in Vizzola Ticino (VA ). This museum should have retraced the aeronautical history of Lombard industries, such as Caproni, SIAI-Marchetti from Sesto Calende, Aermacchi, Agusta, and Piero Magni, and of the province of Varese. The chosen site was located near the Milan-Malpensa airport, and was easily accessible from Milan. Numerous local political leaders joined the initiative, such as the president of the province of Varese Marco Reguzzoni, the President of the Regional Council of Lombardy Alberoni, numerous mayors, and aeronautics industry managers such as Carmelo Cosentino (CEO of Alenia Aermacchi) and Giuseppe Orsi (CEO of Agusta Westland), the president of the Aero Club of Italy Giuseppe Leoni, and the Italian Air Force.

Fondazione Museo dell'Aeronautica was set up, of which Reguzzoni became president, who provided to buy at a favorable price from AgustaWestland the area of the former Officine Caproni, including warehouses and offices. The realization was carried out with a commitment signed by the Lombardy Region, the province of Varese, and the mayors of the municipalities of Cardano al Campo, Ferno, Lonate Pozzolo, Gallarate, Samarate, Somma Lombardo, Varese and Vizzola Ticino, and 19 million euros were made available, to be paid out progressively for the restoration of the buildings, the fitting out and the endowment of the exhibition spaces.

The Volandia Park and Museum was officially opened to the public on 8 May 2010. Already in its first year, Volandia could count on a museum heritage of over 30 aircraft and a thousand models on display.

In 2012, following the acquisition of several models, including the American twin-engine Douglas DC-3, a new 4000 m2 exhibition area dedicated to commercial aviation was inaugurated. The Douglas DC-3 by Volandia is the only functioning specimen exhibited in Italy. …

Collections

The initial intent of the museum was to make the history of world aviation known, with particular attention to the companies that have made the history of flight in Italy, such as the Caproni, the Agusta, the Aermacchi and the SIAI-Marchetti, all based in the province of Varese. With the acquisition of the Bertoni and Bertone collections, which focus on the automobile and the Ogliari collection, mainly focused on rail and road transport, the museum has taken on the aptitude to range over the entire transport world in general.

Volandia's aeronautical museum heritage explores all the main topics related to fixed-wing and rotary-wing flight, from commercial to military aviation. The helicopter heritage is also of great value and size.

The museum preserves and exhibits some of the most iconic models in the history of Italian aeronautics, including the pioneering Caproni Ca.1, the first aircraft to take off from the Malpensa moorland. The Caproni Ca.18 belong to the period of consolidation of the air fleet (first plane of national conception to fully equip an Italian squadron) and the Caproni Ca.113, one of the most famous aerobatic aircraft of the years between the two wars. The era of the jet engine is revived through the Fiat G.91 (the first Italian aircraft to equip the National Acrobatic Patrol), the AMX Ghibli, the trainers MB.326 and MB.339 and the 3 prototypes of SIAI-Marchetti S.211. There are also numerous examples of the era used by other foreign air forces, such as the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 and Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, the Republic F-84F Thunderstreak and North American F-86 Sabre, the BAC Jet Provost and the de Havilland Vampire.

The history and development of commercial aviation are represented by the specimens of Douglas DC-3 Dakota, McDonnell Douglas MD-80 and Fokker 27, the most commercially successful aircraft of the respective eras. Of significant historical value is also the Douglas DC-9 of the Presidency of the Italian Republic. The President of the Republic Sandro Pertini, Pope John Paul II and other Heads of State and Government traveled on the sample in question at the 31st Wing of the Italian Air Force. The plane also transported the coffin of the Formula 1 champion Ayrton Senna, who died tragically following an accident in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, from the Bologna airport to the Paris airport. …

Pavilions

Astronomy and Space Pavilion: museum area that traces the history and development of space exploration, from the first observations of Galileo's Moon in 1609 to recent international missions. The pavilion is equipped with a planetarium equipped with a powerful projector and FullDome videos; in it are also placed the 1:10 scale reproductions of the Usa Saturno V and Soyuz launcher, a vector still used today to supply the International Space Station with material and men. 30 models are also exhibited, on a scale of 1: 114, which narrate 70 years of space launches.

The forms of flight: presentation of the various forms of flight (gliding, fixed wing, rotating wing). On the exhibition route, various devices and aircraft of the Varese and Lombardy aeronautical industries follow one another.

The first flight to Malpensa: section in which the Caproni Ca.1 is located, accompanied by an installation that reproduces the setting of the first - and only - flight of the pioneering aircraft of the Caproni home.

Officina Caproni: reconstruction of the workshop of the first Italian aeronautical company, established at the beginning of the 20th century.

Fixed wing: chronological and thematic exposition, from the first propeller-driven aircraft to the modern jet engine aircraft. From balloon flights to great enterprises with Bleriot XI and Gabardini Seaplane.

Rotating wing: section that focuses on the use of the civil and military helicopter, from the smallest Autogyro to the large helicopters of the Army and the Navy.

Drones area: space managed by the GULLP association which includes an exhibition part and a real "LAB" dedicated to the study, planning and realization of UAV / Drones aircraft and in general of projects related to flight and new technologies.

The future of flight: pavilion dedicated to the history of AgustaWestland and the AW609 convertiplane..

Ogliari museum.

Simulators area: area dedicated to flight simulation. Ten simulators - four for under 12 and 6 for over 12 - that allow you to experience the experience of flying aboard famous aircraft such as the MB.339 military trainer and the AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter.