Decennial Air Cruise
The Decennial Air Cruise (Italian: Crociera aerea del Decennale) was a mass transatlantic flight from Orbetello, Italy, to the Century of Progress International Exposition, Chicago, Illinois.
[1] It consisted of 25 Savoia-Marchetti S.55X seaplanes crossing the Atlantic Ocean in formation, forming the greatest mass flight in aviation history.
International public opinion in the early 1930s was fascinated by the progress of aviation, with attempts to fly across the ocean widely covered by the media.
[6] Being opposed to the stardom of individual pilots common at the time, he wanted each of them to develop a sense of belonging to a larger organization, the Air Force.
[18] The ten years anniversary of the March on Rome (1922–1932) was deemed by the Italian government the right occasion to attempt the mass flight, hence the expedition was dubbed Decennial Air Cruise.
Although the organization of the flight took longer than expected, ending in 1933, the name was kept in celebration of another decennial, the establishment of the Royal Italian Air Force (1923–1933).
[19][22] Not willing to abandon the idea of pursuing the North Atlantic route, Balbo decided that the Italian planes had to reach the International Exposition in Chicago, whose motto A Century of Progress he considered particularly suitable.
[25] Major Stefano Cagna, very much trusted by Balbo and an important participant in all previous mass flights, was considered the best candidate to plan the European leg of the expedition.
[27] Recruiting and training the pilots at the Scuola di navigazione aerea d'alto mare (SNADAM), established specifically for the expedition and led by General Aldo Pellegrini, took two years.
The practical part of the training included the expertise required to handle a flying boat on water such as sailing, as well as waves and wind movement.
The winter of 1932/1933 was spent mountaineering in Misurina to prepare the men for the skills that might have been needed in case of water landing at extreme northern latitudes.
[29][30] With the weather finally cleared during the night of June 30 to July 1, Balbo set reveille at 4:15 AM for the first leg of the flight between Orbetello and Amsterdam.
In the Dutch city, a large number of journalists and sightseers was waiting for the water landing, during which Sergeant Mechanic Ugo Quintavalla lost his life.
The Italian aviators traveled on a Royal Air Force speedboat through cheering crowds and were received by the Mayor at Guild Hall.
By dropping to an altitude of 30 meters, at which the waves were visible, they managed to fly past the fog and eventually reach the Icelandic capital safely at 6PM.
During dinner at the Stevens Hotel, former judge John Sbarbaro read a message from President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Speakers at the event included the Governor of Illinois Henry Horner, Mayor Kelly, and the president of Century of Progress Rufus C. Dawes.
Being very cautious about his public image, Balbo was unsure whether to accept, and agreed only after hearing that former US President Calvin Coolidge also received such an honor.
The city of New York organized a parade down Broadway on motorcycle escort on July 21 which made a great impression on Balbo, who said "in our lives it would be extraordinary to experiment something as grandiose again".
According to the plan, they were supposed to spend a couple of days there and then reach Valentia Island, Ireland with one single 3,000-kilometre (1,860 mi; 1,620 nmi) flight on July 29.
[50] An alternative route had to be considered due to heavy storms across the North Atlantic flight path that carried on for multiple days, as well as fog banks over Ireland.
While various options were being studied, Mussolini tried to ensure that Balbo would avoid London, Paris, or Berlin, afraid of being overshadowed by his rising popularity.
[51] On August 8, after two weeks spent in Shoal Harbour (where meanwhile a street was renamed Balbo Drive), a decision was made and the expedition flew 2,700 kilometres (1,680 mi; 1,460 nmi) to the Azores.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the expedition, 58 of the surviving members of the flight and Paolo Balbo, son of Italo, went to Chicago for Columbus Day in 1973.
[55] On 13 August 1933, the Kingdom of Italy established the Commemorative Medal of the Decennial Air Cruise (Italian: Medaglia commemorativa della Crociera aerea del Decennale) in honor of those who lost their lives during the flight.
