Florence has always had a penchant for flying. Nowadays, the future of flying can be found in two Florentine institutions: Istituto di Scienze Militari Aeronautiche (ISMA) and Lindbergh Flying School.
Located next to Olympus gym off via del Ripoli, Lindbergh Flying School is a down-to-earth state secondary school established in 1984 that trains students for all manner of jobs in the flight industry. Although many of the 11 to 16 year olds nurture dreams of becoming a pilot, the highly trained teachers encourage their pupils to consider related professions, such as air traffic controllers, flight dispatchers, cabin crew, mechanics, ground staff. “La Lindbergh”, as the school is affectionately called, is the only civil aviation academy in Tuscany and one of the very few in Italy, operating alongside a sister college that recently opened in Bergamo thanks to an agreement with leading aircraft maintenance company, the Seas Group, whose CEO Alessandro Cianciaruso is a Lindbergh graduate.
“Our mission is to provide a solid foundation for the future stars of the civil and military aviation industry,” explains Luciano Lazzeri, CEO of Lindbergh Flying School. “We are a springboard for all children, boys and girls, who dream of flying.”
On the day that we visit, the youngsters, unfailingly immaculate in their uniforms, are the epitome of politeness and professionalism. First-year students are getting to grips with Thrustmaster instrumental flight sticks, while a fourth-year pupil is “preparing for takeoff” from Peretola in an Airbus A320, the plane used by ITA and Vueling, in a Microsoft cockpit simulation scenario. The real deal can be found in the basement, where a flight simulator features a full Boeing 737-800 Next Generation flight deck. Amid buttons and levers, teacher and pupil demonstrate a flawless takeoff from Pisa Airport before banking over San Rossore and Marina di Pisa. The simulator is open to the public too, aimed at helping people to overcome a fear of flying by showing them what goes on behind the closed door.
Istituto Militare Aeronautico. Ph. Valeria Raniolo
“La Lindbergh” proudly shoulders the responsibility of providing initial training to Italy’s military pilots. Indeed, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Lindbergh Flying School, this year’s graduation ceremony was held at Istituto di Scienze Militari Aeronautiche (ISMA), a sprawling 1930s citadel designed by Raffaello Fagnoni hidden in plain sight at the western end of the Cascine Park. Military aviation officers from all over Italy attend classes at the training college to hone their leadership abilities, while increasing their cultural and technical skills. A mausoleum-like loggia in glazed mosaic guides officers into the rationalist architecture of Palazzina Italia, whose warm brown marble entrance hall is dominated by the tail of a SAI Ambrosini Super S. 7. Nondescript locker-lined college corridors are a world away from the might of the Aula Magna, while the top-floor library disturbs (it resembles a cabinet war room) and impresses in equal measure with its original wall-mounted map of Italy (scale 1:250,000), original furniture and 25,000-strong collection of books on aviation.
Flying has come a long way from Leonardo’s experiments up at Monte Ceceri, the hot air balloons that dotted the city skies in the late 1700s, and aviator Vasco Magrini’s acrobatics and flying club in the 1920s. The future of flying is now being shaped here in the heart of Florence.
