by Ugo Vicenzi
The airport of Biella, about halfway between Milano and Torino in Northern Italy, is home to two nice examples of T-6 Texans, lovingly maintained by two pilots who keep alive memories of the aeronautical schools of Aeronautica Militare Italiana, where once they served as students and instructors.
Harvard IIB Serial #: 43-13116 I-BWUL
Giancarlo Fé is the owner of the yellow Harvard, an AT-16-ND built in 1944 by the Noorduyn Aircraft Company Ltd in Montreal, a plane that received a never-used USAAF serial 43-13116 but was immediately delivered to the Royal Air Force as FT375. It was delivered to the No.16 Service Flying Training School at RAF Newton, on August 23rd, 1944, intended to train Polish pilots. By 1954 FT375 was assigned to to the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) at Boscombe Down for use as a chase-plane and photo-mount, receiving there the glossy yellow livery with RAF roundels. One of the assigned tasks was photographing launch of loads from Hercules C130 and for this reason it received the trademark drilled flaps that are still in site and that were used as airbrakes during the dives in the photo sessions. It left the Air Force in 1996, being sold at auction as G-BWUL to Nucleo Aero Acrobatico Parmense SRL, the company of the famous warbird pilot Pino Valenti. It passed through several private owners in Italy, being stationed at Brescia, Roma and Torino, before being finally purchased by Giancarlo Fé and being put on the Italian Registry as I-BWUL.
Giancarlo was born In Roma and got his flying permit at Urbe airport when he was 17; by 1968 he entered Aeronautica Militare Italiana being assigned to S.V.B.I.E. Scuola di Volo Basico Iniziale Elica (basic Flight School with prop planes) at Alghero, Sardinia, where he learned to fly the T6 and became a military pilot by 1969. He remained in the Air Force one year and was hired by Aero Trasporti Italiani as a co-pilot on the Fokker F27 and later Douglas DC-9; at ATI he progressed to commander and instructor on MD-80 airplanes. He left the Alitalia group in 1989 and started a career at charter operators like Air Europe Italy, Blue Panorama, East African, Livingston and Air Italy, piloting planes like B757, B767, B777, A 321 and A 330. After 19,000 flight hours he is currently retired but continues to work at AeroClub di Biella and fly his beloved yellow Harvard.
AT6F Serial #: 44-82323 I-FKVE
Angelo Abico is the owner of a smart example of the last produced version by North American, the AT6F, basically a strengthened and lightened AT6D. It was constructed at Dallas during 1944 and assigned to the US Navy as SNJ6 44-82323/BU No 112187. By 1956 it was withdrawn from usage and sold in 1961 to the Brazilian Air Force, to be used to train pilots destined to the Minas Gerais aircraft carrier. It later was assigned to the aerobatic Team Escuadrilha de Fumaca and by 1976 it was sold as a civil airplane with registration PT-KVE and got a flame color scheme with the name Dragoes do Air. It was later sold to Germany with registration D-FVKE and arrived in Italy by 2008, later registration was simply changed to I-FVKE, being stationed first at Bergamo, then at Verona-Boscomantico, and finally at Biella. It is currently restored sporting the livery and insignia of at T7C/D of the Scuola Volo 2° Periodo of Lecce-Galatina with registration SL-8 (SL is for Scuola Lecce). The original SL-8 was MM53867, which was written off after an accident on October 4th, 1956.
Angelo Abico was born in 1962 and entered the Air Force, where he became a military pilot in 1985 and jet pilot in 1986. He was assigned to the 14° Gruppo of 2° Stormo, where he flew reconnaissance missions on the FIAT G91R. In 1988 he was assigned to 60° Stormo at Amendola, fling MB339 and later at 212° Gruppo of 61° Stormo at Lecce, acting as instructor on MB339. He left the Air Force in 1990 and followed a similar path as Giancarlo, working for Italian charter airlines on planes like A320, B767 and B787, closing his activity at Neos Airline with 18,700 flight hours. Passion for aerobatic team flying led Angelo to the organization of a team of Pitts Specials that was active from 1996 to 2001, later he started a friendship and common flying with Giancarlo Fé and they operate their Texans to this day.
In 2021 they joined with the other three T-6s present in Italy to create the Harvard Team, that was present in many Air Displays, although sadly not being able to repeat the 5-ship formation in the following years. Angelo and Giancarlo still fly their Texans in formation flights or in pleasure flights, transporting passionate people who want to experience the pleasures of a warbird flight.
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Emma Quedzuweit is a historial researcher and graduate school student originally from California, but travels extensively for work and study. She is the former Assitant Editor at AOPA Pilot magazine and currently freelance writes along with personal projects invovled in the search for missing in action aviators from World War I and II. She is a Private Pilot with Single Engine Land and Sea ratings and tailwheel endorsement and is part-owner of a 1946 Piper J-3 Cub. Her favorite aviation experience was earning a checkout in a Fairchild PT-19.
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