Warbird aviation specialist Boschung Global has listed a restored Fiat G.91 for sale on its platform. The restoration process of the aircraft began in January 2022, and this Fiat G.91 (MM6305) first flew on June 14, 2023. The restoration process was a collaboration between the aircraft’s owner, Renzo Catellani, founder of Museo dell’Araba Fenice, and a collector of aeronautical artifacts who helps educate the public about aviation history, and the Aeronautica Militare Italiana (AMI, the Italian Air Force).
The technicians and specialists were primarily from the Italian Air Force base in Piacenza, the NVPA (Nucleo Valorizzazione Patrimonio Aeronautico) in Piacenza San Damiano, the 1st Aircraft Maintenance Department in Cameri (Novara), the 3rd Aircraft Maintenance and Armament Department in Treviso, the 6th Wing in Ghedi, and the 61st Wing in Galatina (Lecce).
The aircraft for sale was part of the AMI, with “MM” in its serial number standing for Matricola Militare. The restoration of the G.91 took place in two places. Catellani and his team fixed the fuselage, avionics, and hydraulic systems in Reggio Emilia. Meanwhile, the personnel from AMI worked on the wings and tail section. Later, it was repainted to match the colors of ‘PONY 10,’ the plane flown by the famous aerobatic pilot G.B. Molinaro from the Italian Aerobatic Team, the Frecce Tricolori (Tricolor Arrows).
With just a few days to spare before the Aeronautica Militare Italiana (Italian Air Force, AMI) 100th-anniversary airshow at Pratica di Mare Air Base, Fiat G.91 (MM6305) flew on Wednesday, June 14th. For the special occasion, the pilot selected to test the G.91 (and eventually flew it at the centenary airshow) was General Maurizio Lodovisi, who also test-flew Renzo Catellani’s MB-326K.
The Fiat G.91 was a single-engine jet aircraft with an arrow-shaped wing. It was designed by engineer Giuseppe Gabrielli and produced by the Italian company Fiat Aviazione starting in the mid-1950s. In 1953, it won the NATO competition for a new light tactical support aircraft. The aircraft first flew in 1956 and was mainly used by the German Air Force and the AMI. The Portuguese Air Force also used this aircraft during operations in Portuguese Guinea and Mozambique from 1966 to 1973. A total of 756 units were produced, including 4 prototypes and 22 pre-production aircraft, over a 19-year production period. After merging with Aeritalia, Fiat Aviazione also produced 67 twin-engine G.91-Ys, which served in the AMI until replaced by the Aeritalia-Embraer AMX. At the end of 1963, the G.91-PAN took over from the Canadair CL-13, which was based on the North American F-86 Sabre.
The G.91-PAN remained in service until the Aermacchi MB-339-PAN was delivered in 1981. The still-active G.91-PAN and R/PAN were assigned to the 2nd Wing until their final operational day on April 9, 1992, after serving for 34 years. The 313° Aerobatic Training Group, also known as the Pattuglia Acrobatica Nazionale (PAN) or “Frecce Tricolori,” was assigned 25 G.91 aircraft. FIAT modified all of these planes, adding a pitch damper, replacing the four 12.7 mm guns with counterweights, and installing a smoke system that uses two underwing tanks. Evaluation versions were also used by the Greek and US Air Forces. According to Boschung Global, the aircraft is in good condition. For more information about the aircraft on sale, visit https://www.boschungglobal.
(Image credit: Omar Pacchioni)
