Giovanni Pegna
Giovanni Pegna was an important figure in the development of Italian aviation. He was the head of the construction department of Piaggio and later of the Officine Meccaniche Reggiane, a subdivision of Caproni.
Biography
Giovanni Pegna was born on 4 January 1888. In his youth, he becomes attracted by aviation pioneer companies that faced at the beginning of century XX, and at age 16, in 1904, he made a series of scale models of propellers and libratori. The following year, in 1905, he decided to enroll in courses of 'Naval Academy of Livorno, where he attended technical courses and from which came out six years later after graduating in shipbuilding. He does not, however, abandoned the aeronautical passion inserting the thesis a study on longitudinal stability applied to aircraft.Military career
Released by the Academy is awarded to 'Naval Arsenal of La Spezia where he had the opportunity to approach the first flight as an observer in the seaplanes two-seat reconnaissance and then as pilot failing to achieve the patent in 1913. The experience gained from the flight will urge him to realize the first two of its projects in those years, two seaplanes but remained at the project level.In charge of the establishment of seaplanes departments, initially at Pesaro, and then moved to Porto Corsini, Brindisi and Taranto, realizes the possibility of using the seaplanes as d 'aircraft equipping attack with a torpedo, precursors torpedo, but while doing some demonstration trials, his idea was not supported by his superiors.
In 1915 is transferred to Milan, assigned to the supervision of the work aeronautics companies who suffered a technological acceleration duvuta the outbreak of World War II. Direct contact with the production allows him to realize three new projects, a seaplane and two four-engine land. The construction of the first prototype is commissioned Isotta Fraschini that he decided to continue its development even after the official order was canceled. The military authorities considered that the company's decision had been influenced directly by Pegna, him on trial and then sentenced to three months of arrest for disobedience. The 1917 confirms his willingness to aeronautics research by designing an aircraft suitable for stratospheric flight while he was assigned to the Air Force Technical direction, but even that was not in the military developments. He decides at the end of the war, leaving the Royal Navy taking leave, in 1919, the military rank of major.
Civil career
In 1922 the Count Giovanni Bonmartini convinced Pegna to found the Pegna-Bonmartini. The same year Pegna began drawing a conceptually advanced military aircraft for use, a fighter of compact proportions.| Velivolo | Anno | Motore/i | Note |
| Elicottero | 1923 | ? | Con 4 eliche in croce mosse da ingranaggi, mai costruito |
| Leonardo da Vinci | 1923 | Fiat A.12 bis | Idrovolante biplano commerciale a 16 motori di tipo trasatlantico, peso tot. 55 t e 20 t di carico utile |
| P.B.N. | 1922 | Hispano-Suiza da 300 hp | Biplano da bombardamento notturno quadrimotore capace di volare a 8 000 m di quota, acquistato dal Commissariato per l'aeronautica, diventò con la Piaggio il Piaggio P.3 con motori SPA 6A |
| P.B.N. alta quota | 1922 | Hispano-Suiza da 300 hp | Biplano da bombardamento notturno quadrimotore ad alta quota capace di volare a 8 000 m di quota con compressore unico per tutti i motori capace di 240 km/h |
| Rondine | 1923 | A.B.C. da 3,1/2 hp | Piccolo aeroplano da turismo monoposto, collaudato con successo da Donati, mai prodotto in serie |
| Rondone | 1923 | A.B.C. da 3,1/2 hp | Come il rondine ma biposto, diventò con la Piaggio il Piaggio P.1 |
In 1923, when prototype it was already in an advanced state of construction, Rinaldo Piaggio, owner of 'eponymous company, which until then had dealt with nautical decor and railway equipment, decided to further diversify its business looking to hire Pegna to develop the aviation industry. In the face of opposition from Bonmartini to leave your partner, Piaggio then decided to completely take over the farm.
In the following years he continued to work as a designer taking over the thirties, is the new technical director of the company continuing to design various models, mainly seaplanes, including the Piaggio p.6.
In 1936 moved to Reggiane.
Pegna is especially known for its unconventional realizations for the time, such as seaplanes Piaggio PC7 designed in 1928 to Schneider Trophy or l 'flying wing long experienced in "aviation city" of Guidonia throughout the pre-war.
His other interesting projects were the Piaggio P.32 and Caproni-Reggiane Ca.405 C.