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Enrico Forlanini (Milan, 1848-1930) was a genial italian engineer, inventor and aereonautical pioneer, well known for his works on elicopters, aircrafts, hydrofoils and dirigibles.
In 1877 he developed an early helicopter powered by a steam engine that was the first of
its type that rose to a height of 13 meters, where it remained for some 20 seconds, after a vertical take-off from a park of Milan.
Later he designed and build a series of dirigibles, notably, in 1909, the "Leonardo da Vinci"
that he dedicated to the famous rinascimental inventor and, in 1912, the "Citta di Milano", dedicated to his beloved mother town. The latter one showed exceptionally good characteristics of stability and controllability that gained to the inventor international consideration.
He is also known for his hydrofoils that he started modelling since 1898. One of those, built at full scale, used a ladder system of foils and a 60 hp engine driving two counter-rotating air props.
During testing on Lake Maggiore in 1906, this craft reached a top speed of 42.5 mph.
Forlanini obtained a number of British and American patents on his ideas and designs, most of which were aimed at seaplane applications.
He died at the age of 82 years while still working on the design of a new flyng machine with the same
passion and ardor of the early years.
His mother town Milano has dedicated to him its city airport, also named Linate Airport.
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