RESOURCES ONLINE

RWD-6 of Franciszek Zwirko during short take-off trial One of the participants in the Challenge International de Tourisme 1932 from Wikipedia

 

ONLINE RESOURCES      If you search for "Renato Donati" +aviation using the Google search engine, (12-16-10), you will find about 686 links. With few exceptions, they simply repeat his feat of setting an altitude record in 1934.      If you search for "Renato Donati" +aviation -record, you will still find about 151 links.

 

Renato Donati prepares for his record flight      This page offers a very interesting photograph on the Aviation Archives website. It shows Renato being dressed in preparation for his attempt to set a new altitude record. The accompanying text describes some of the limiting conditions which must be surmounted in order to make a successful flight. You can access the page by clicking on the title above.

 

Challenge International de Tourisme 1932      This page on the Wikipedia website offers a very interesting account of the event. Even though Renato is only mentioned briefly, I think you will enjoy learning about the whole event. You can access the page by clicking on the title above.

 

AEROSPACE MEDICINE NEARS THE MILLENIUM      This is a very extensive article and offers only a brief mention of Renato. However, it is one of the few descriptions of his condition after he set the altitude record. It reads as follows:      "open-cockpit unpressurized flights were risky in the extreme, and numerous close calls characterized some of the flight tests. (In September 1934, for example, Italian test pilot Renato Donati reached an altitude of 47,358 feet in an open-cockpit biplane, but had to be carried from his plane after landing in a near-comatose condition, remaining so for nearly a day)."      If time permits, I think you will enjoy reading the entire article. You can access it by clicking on the title above.

 

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