Pratica di Mare Airport. The pilot, Lt. Col. Giovanni Franchini, revs the jet engine to maximum revs, takes off, and climbs rapidly. At 13,500 meters, when the plane has almost reached its ceiling, Lt. Col. Franchini, having received the approval of air traffic control, dives at full throttle directly above the airfield, down to 6,000 meters. As the ground approaches dangerously, the test pilot brings the aircraft back into flight and rockets toward the airport with a roar. In his headphones, he hears the congratulations of the air traffic controller, who has heard the characteristic two supersonic “bang” sounds. It was a momentous occasion, not only for the pilot, but for the entire Italian aviation industry: the “Sagittario 2°,” as the jet was called, was the first Italian aircraft to break the sound barrier, and Giovanni Franchini was the first Italian to break this invisible barrier with a jet designed and built in Italy.
