December 9th, that date is important because on that day, in 1951, it
made the first flight G.80, the first Italian jet trainer. Although
produced in Turin the historical flight happened to Amendola, military
airport where the prototype was transported from Turin. The choice was
obligatory because the Turin track was not long enough to guarantee
operations with the new FIAT airplane. The history of the G.80, and of
the subsequent improved version, the G.82, deserve to be known. The
fifties, in Italy, were the pioneering times of the design of the first
jets, the industries were trying to recover from the recent destruction
of the war and were looking for markets to restart production. In this
context the FIAT initiative, at the time led by prof. Valletta, who
authorized Ing. Gabrielli to the project.