In 1929 Mantelli competed in flying competitions with aircraft that were self designed and built.

[1] In the summer of 1936, Adriano Mantelli was the leading Italian fighter pilot in the Spanish Civil War serving in the Regia Aeronautica.

Flying under the alias "Arrighi",[2] he would later share the title for highest scoring Ace with Mario Bonzano at fifteen victories.

[4] Mantelli co-founded the company Alaparma with Livio Agostini to produce the AM-6, and later the AM-8 and AM-10 aircraft.

[9] He died in 1995 while waiting for a train at Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station.