Old Wings Genova
Sezione GAVS - Gruppo Amici Velivoli Storici
Welcome on board!
Who we are and where we are:
Old Wings Genova was created in September 2005 by a group of aviation
enthusiasts with interests ranging from flight to collecting documents and
photographs and preserving historical finds.
Some of us are members of Associazione Arma Aeronautica (Italian Air Force
Association) or of other aviation-related associations.
Because of our interests we found our natural location at the Associazione Arma
Aeronautica of Genova, in Piazza Sturla 3.
From September 2007 we are members of GAVS (Gruppo Amici Velivoli Storici -
Group of Friends of Historic Aircrafts), the italian Association
for preserving the Italian aviation heritage since 1983.
How to find us
Our premises, quite close to the city centre, are well served by public
transport (bus lines n° 15 and 31) and by two train stations: Genova Sturla,
only a few minute walk away, and Genova Priaruggia, 5 bus stops from here.
You can also get here by leaving the motorway at Genova Nervi tollgate.
Founding members:
Cap. Ernesto SERPETTA
Arch. Roberto BLANCO
Association goals:
…from our charter:
Article 1: We hereby create the association “OLD WINGS Genova”, apolitical,
voluntary, no-profit, active in the field of aviation history and culture.
…The association is of historical-cultural nature: it is aimed at collecting
information, photographs, films and findings related to the history of aviation,
with particular attention to facts and people connected with our region…
The history of our territory, despite being naturally connected to the sea and
sea navigation, is also of particular relevance to the origins and development
of aviation: industrial sites, seaplane bases and airports have been created
since the beginning of flight.
Though Genova airport and the Piaggio industries are well-known realities, few
know that, for instance, the harbour was equipped with a seaplane zone for the
hydroplanes that regularly flew between Genova and several European and
Mediterranean cities; or that, close to today’s Fiumara, Ansaldo industries were
producing, during the First World War, airplanes such as that now displayed
outside Cristoforo Colombo airport.
In many European countries there are associations or societies that, even in
smaller urban contexts than Genova, are engaged in the divulgation and
preservation of this kind of historical, industrial and technological heritage,
that often risks to be destroyed. These associations have often become important
points of reference in education and tourism.
Considered the particular cultural and industrial connection that our city
established with the world of airplanes, our aim is to try to recreate a similar
association even in Genova.
We’ll focus especially on collecting information about aircraft relics, to try,
when possible, to recover, restore and preserve them, or at least their
surviving parts.
A missing culture - why is it so?
Projects aiming at preserving the technical-industrial heritage connected with
the history of aviation are often met with indifference or even suspicions.
Technical development is a process that takes place through the uninterrupted
assimilation of experience, information and knowledge, which gives us the
possibility to continuously improve the way we live and operate.
Retracing the technological and industrial history that lies behind it, helps us
understand the evolution of science and technology, but, most of all, it shows
us how we should project our future in the light of the past.
That is what we and our association believe: our projects are aimed at
preserving the technological and cultural heritage, so that it can become a
source of specific knowledge.
Italy, which is one of the most industrialized countries in the world, has an
extremely rich cultural, scientific, historical and humanistic heritage, which
is rightly significantly enhanced - still, proper consideration is scarce,
sometimes totally missing, when it comes to the technological and industrial
heritage, especially in relation to aviation. The following article is a good
example of what other countries have done. It can help us understand what we can
and must do.
From "Aerei nella storia"
(Aircrafts through History, italian historical
aircrafts magazine),
No. 40 - February-March 2005
NEW FINDS OF GERMAN BOMBERS IN NORWAY
The Deutches Technikmuseum of Berlin and the Forsvarsmuseet Flysamlingen of
Gardermoen have, through a conjoint operation, recovered two German bombers that
had been submerged for 64 years at 74 meter depth in Lake Jonsvatnet, south-east
of Trondheim. The two aircrafts are a Junkers Ju 88A-1 (U4+TK Werk-No 088118),
that belonged to Staffel 2./KG 30, and a Heinkel He 111H-1 (6N+NH Wer-No 2527),
used by Staffel 1./KGr 100. The Norwegian museum has acquired the Ju 88, as well
as the undercarriage doors from the He 111, which can be used to complete a He
111P-1. The He 111, on the other side, has been transported to Berlin. During
the operation, also the tail from another Ju 88 (the 4D+EM) has been recovered.
The wrecks were in extraordinarily good condition, apart from the fact that one
of the wings of the Ju 88 had been badly damaged by fire, and that the He 111
had been stripped of all useful parts. The bombers, in fact, did not crash, but
were parked on the frozen lake when, between 16-17 April 1940, the ice melted.
The pilot of the He 111, 96-year-old Arthur von Casimir, was present at the
recovery."
Thanks for your time reading this, if you share our views and hopes,
then we’re waiting for you… there’s a lot of work to do.