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Portale
Turismo & tempo libero
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La Tuscia Romana I musei del territorio Vigna di Valle – Culla dell’Aviazione Italiana, luogo di memoria Il materiale originale ed alcune immagini in queste pagine sono © o di proprietà di Luciano Russo: la Redazione ringrazia l'autore / il proprietario per averne autorizzato la riproduzione, la rielaborazione, l'adattamento e la pubblicazione nel portale |
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Vigna di Valle – Approfondimento |
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In questa pagina Bracciano – Aeroscalo nazionale, europeo ed intercontinentale 1938 – L’ “Aerostazione di Bracciano” Servizio postale, passeggeri e merci
Pagine correlate
Luciano Russo – Una presentazione
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Bracciano – Aeroscalo nazionale, europeo ed intercontinentale |
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1938 – L’ “Aerostazione di Bracciano” |
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Tra le due Grandi Guerre il Lago di Bracciano non è solo punto di riferimento per le attività aeree militari dell’epoca.
La presenza all’Idroscalo di Vigna di Valle, con le sue competenze d’avanguardia e attrezzature tecniche, e la sua estrema vicinanza a Roma portano ad aprire nel 1938 anche uno Scalo Civile per idrovolanti sul lago.
Abitanti e piccoli esercizi del luogo trovano impiego, direttamente o indirettamente, nelle attività collegate alla nuova Aerostazione: dopo Vigna di Valle, scherzosamente soprannominata dai locali “la Conca d’Oro”, anche il volo commerciale porta ulteriore occupazione e benessere ai paesi lacustri – ma la fortunata e promettente parentesi si chiuderà presto, lasciando solo rimpianto.
Sopra e sotto l’"Aerostazione" o "Idroscalo Civile" di Bracciano in foto-cartoline d’epoca, scattate rispettivamente dalla collina retrostante e dal lago (degno di nota il livello delle sue acque nel 1938!).
Il corpo principale del complesso, per quanto più volte modificato, è ancora oggi chiaramente riconoscibile ed ospita, tra l'altro, un noto bar-ristorante, in cui sono esposte interessantissime foto d'epoca dell'Aerostazione, tra cui questa sopra: un grazie particolare alla gestione per averci dato il permesso di riprodurle e pubblicarle! Purtroppo alcune delle costruzioni secondarie hanno subito un notevole degrado, ma ultimamente se ne è iniziato un lodevole recupero e restauro. |
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Londra-Bracciano-“Bombay”... |
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Gli idrovolanti delle Linee Aeree Inglesi “Imperial Airways”, poi B.O.A.C. e ora British Airways, fanno scalo a Bracciano nei loro regolari collegamenti settimanali da e per Londra, Parigi, Köln (Colonia) e Brusselles con il Nord e Sud Africa, il Medio Oriente e l’India.
Le locandine della Imperial Airways che annunciano i voli Europei, Africani e Asiatici,: promettendo “Real comfort as well as high speed” – vero comfort ed alta velocità.
Chi, tra la popolazione, ricorda questo avvenimento, davvero fuori dell’ordinario per un piccolo paese come Bracciano, la chiama erroneamente la linea per “Bombay”.
In effetti una delle più spettacolari rotte della Società britannica è: Londra-Parigi-Basilea-Bracciano e da qui Napoli-Atene-Creta-Alessandria d’Egitto, poi Gaza-Bagdad-Karachi-“Dehli-Calcutta” e Rangoon-Bangkok-Singapore, fino a Darwin, nell’Australia Settentrionale.
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Il logotipo della Imperial Airways su un etichetta per bagagli degli anni Trenta.
Gli idrovolanti inglesi si guadagnano così il nomignolo di “valigia delle Indie”.
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L'equipaggio ed i passeggeri di un idrovolante inglese di linea posano per una foto ricordo sul molo all’Aerostazione di Bracciano (nella foto: a sinistra il Comandante dell’Aerostazione, al centro gli ospiti d’onore con l’equipaggio inglese in divisa estiva, a destra eleganti signore con cappelli di stagione). |
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Le ragguardevoli dimensioni e la modernità di uno degli idrovolanti Short S 23 impiegati sulle rotte intercontinentali dai nostri, di lì ad un paio d’anni, futuri nemici. |
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La rotta del collegamento centrale europeo-mediterraneo-nord africano-balcanico: Roma-Lago di Bracciano è uno degli scali sulla tratta Londra-Alessandria d’Egitto. |
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Servizio postale, passeggeri e merci |
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L’“Empire Air-Mail Service” è un ambizioso progetto che il Governo Britannico vara già nel 1935 per garantire rapide e sicure consegne postali in tutto il suo allora ancora esistente Impero – il “Commonwealth”.
Il problema è che il progetto richiede ben oltre l’attuale capacità della flotta aerea della Imperial Airways: la Ditta Short Bros. si aggiudica il contratto per la produzione di nuovi idrovolanti, il cui risultato è lo Short S 23, senza dubbio uno dei più famosi aerei civili dell’anteguerra – 24 posti a sedere, o 16 posti letto, ed un popolarissimo secondo ponte panoramico, per sgranchirsi le gambe ed ammirare esotici paesaggi (precursore, quindi, di aerei ben più recenti, come il Boeing 747).
Il primo S 23, battezzato “Canopus”, in servizio dal 30 ottobre 1936 tra Southampton e il Mediterraneo, traffica regolarmente il Lago di Bracciano dal 1938 al 1940. |
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Your Captain Speaking |
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Di seguito una curiosa ed interessante ricostruzione di un documento d’epoca (qui solo graficamente rielaborato) pubblicato dalla Imperial Airways, con la descrizione esatta di un volo dall’Inghilterra al Sud Africa in ben 7 giorni (!), facendo appunto scalo all'Aeroscalo Internazionale di Roma-Lago di Bracciano.
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IMPERIAL AIRWAYS |
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ENGLAND-FRANCE-ITALY-GREECE-EGYPTSUDAN-UGANDA-KENYA-TANZANIA MOZAMBIQUE-SOUTH AFRICAWITH SHORT S23 FLYING BOAT.
Effective from late 1938 |
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DAY 1 – SOUTHAMPTON-MARSEILLE-ROME*-BRINDISI
Your Captain Speaking:
Ladies and Gentlemen, today we shall be flying at 7,500 ft. Our route will take us across the Channel to cross Normandy, Central France, the Massif Centrale, and Provence to land at Etang de Berre near Marseille. Passengers will lunch ashore whilst the aircraft is refueled. We shall then proceed across the Mediterranean to land on Lake Bracciano, just North of Rome and finally proceed to Brindisi where we shall spend the night.
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ICAO |
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Airport |
Dep |
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EGMS |
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Southampton |
07.00 |
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Route via St Nazaire for possible refuel. |
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Miles |
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LFFB |
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Marseille |
13.00 |
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Land Etang de Berre. NDB 331.0 |
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523 |
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LRSP |
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Rome* |
15.30 |
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Land Lake Bracciano. NDB 331.0 |
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327 |
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LISP |
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Brindisi |
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Arrive evening. Overnight at Hotel. NDB 470.0 |
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275 |
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Note With adverse headwinds on the first leg, aircraft routed via St. Nazaire (LFRZ) on the Atlantic seaboard.
DAY 2 – BRINDISI-ATHENS-ALEXANDRIA
Your Captain speaking:
Good Morning, today we will be flying at 1,500 ft if the weather is good, else 7,500 ft. Our route takes us across the Ionian Sea, down the coast of Greece to Kefallinia, through the Gulf of Corinth, then east to land at Athens. From Athens we shall cross the Mediterranean Sea at 3,500 ft via Crete to land at Alexandria for a night stop.
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ICAO |
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Airport |
Dep |
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LISP |
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Brindisi |
07.00 |
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BSP NDB 470.0 |
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Miles |
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LGSP |
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Athens |
11.00 |
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GAS NDB 570.0 |
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310 |
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GCR |
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Crete Barge |
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NDB GCR 460.0 Refuel if necessary. |
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275 |
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HESP |
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Alexandria |
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Arrive afternoon. Overnight at Hotel. Connects with flights to South Africa and Australia. NDB ESP 370.0 |
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503 |
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Note Adverse headwinds between Athens and Alexandria, aircraft may refuel at Mirabelle, Crete.
DAY 3 – ALEXANDRIA-CAIRO-LUXOR-WADI HALFA-KAREIMA-KHARTOUM
Your Captain Speaking:
We shall be flying at 3,500 ft., across the Nile delta to Cairo and roughly follow the course of the Nile, passing the Pyramids to Port, followed by the Barrage at Assiut, to land at Luxor, famous for its temples. After Luxor we overfly Thebes with its Tombs of the Kings, also the site of the Tutankhamen excavations and on to Wadi Halfa where we enter Sudan, a refuel stop at Kareima and finally, overnight at Khartoum.
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ICAO |
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Airport |
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HESP |
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Alexandria |
Dawn |
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NDB ESP 370.0 |
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Miles |
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HEEM |
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Cairo |
08.00 |
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NDB ORS 290.0 |
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110 |
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HELX |
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Luxor |
10.25 |
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317 |
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HSSW |
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Wadi Halfa |
12.45 |
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NDB AWS 320.0 |
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275 |
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HSMR |
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Kareima |
14.40 |
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NDB KAS 260.0 |
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235 |
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HSSS |
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Khartoum |
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Arrive evening. Overnight at Hotel. NDB SSB 360.0 |
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210 |
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DAY 4 – KHARTOUM-KOSTI-MALAKAL-JUBA-PORT BELL
Your Captain Speaking:
Today we shall be flying at 4,500 ft as far as Juba. Shortly, the desert will end and the bush will begin. Approaching Malakal, there are vast swamps in which herds of elephants may be seen. The 12,000 sq mile ‘Sudd’ swamps on our right end at Juba. Now as the ground begins to rise, we climb to 6,500 ft and we may be lucky and see some of the vast herds of game. We shall overfly Entebbe to alight at Port Bell on Lake Victoria. In the event of bad weather, we may divert to Kisumu (HKKI).
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ICAO |
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Airport |
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HSS |
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Khartoum |
Dawn |
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NDB SSB 360.0 |
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Miles |
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HSSM |
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Malakal |
09.00 |
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NDB MLK 373.0 |
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257 |
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HSSJ |
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Juba |
13.00 |
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NDB JU 364.0 |
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333 |
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HUEN |
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Port Bell |
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Arrive afternoon. Overnight at Hotel. NDB PB 270.0 |
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336 |
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DAY 5 – PORT BELL-KISUMU-MOMBASA-DAR ES SALAAM-LINDI
Your Captain Speaking:
Ladies and Gentlemen, today we proceed to Naivasha climbing to 12,500ft. From there, we fly at 7,500ft passing over Nairobi and to the right of Mt Kilimanjaro, to alight at Mombasa, where we take lunch. We then fly down the coast at 1,500ft.to Dar es Salaam and on to Lindi to overnight.
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ICAO |
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Airport |
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HUEN |
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Port Bell |
06.00 |
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NDB PB 270.0 |
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Miles |
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HKNV |
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Naivasha |
08.30 |
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NDB NVS 320.0 |
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238 |
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HKMO |
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Mombasa |
13.00 |
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NDB MO 267.0 |
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272 |
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HTDA |
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Dar es Salaam |
15.00 |
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NDB DR 361.0 |
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190 |
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HTLI |
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Lindi |
15.00 |
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Arrive afternoon. Overnight at Hotel. NDB LDS 348.0 |
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220 |
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Note Depending on weather, Naivasha may be missed out and return to Kisumu HKKI NDB is KKS 360.0. Passengers for Nairobi will then travel by Train or Road to their destination.
DAY 6 – LINDI-MOZAMBIQUE-QUELIMANE-BEIRA
Your Captain Speaking:
Today we will be flying at 1,500ft and we shall cruise down the coast to Lumbo, Quelimane, then crossing the mouth of the Zambesi River, we alight at Beira to spend the Night.
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ICAO |
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Airport |
Dep |
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HTLI |
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Lindi |
06.00 |
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NDB LDS 348.0 |
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Miles |
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HTLU |
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Lumbo |
08.30 |
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NDB LBS 330.0 |
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350 |
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FQQL |
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Ouelimane |
13.30 |
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NDB QL 267.0 |
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320 |
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FQBR |
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Beira |
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Arrive afternoon. Overnight at Hotel. Connects with flight to Salisbury (Harare) and Blantyre (DH89). NDB BR 327.0 |
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187 |
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DAY 7 – BEIRA-INHAMBANE-LOURENCO MARQUES-DURBAN
Your Captain Speaking:
Today we continue down the Coast at 1,500ft to Inhambane and then to Lourenco Marques for lunch. Then to our final destination, Durban.
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ICAO |
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Airport |
Dep |
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FQBR |
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Beira |
06.00 |
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NDB BR 327.0 |
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Miles |
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FQIN |
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Inhambane |
08.45 |
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NDB IN 400.0 |
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278 |
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FQMA |
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Maputo |
13.00 |
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(Was Lourenco Marques) NDB MO 329.0 |
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226 |
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FADN |
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Durban |
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Arrive afternoon. Flight terminates here and connects with flights to Johannesburg/Cape Town. NDB DUS 410.0 |
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288 |
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Hope you enjoyed your flight with Imperial Airways and welcome onboard soon again!
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Scalo Roma-Lago di Bracciano |
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E ancora, frammenti di testimonianze dirette, vissute da cittadini britannici poco prima che la linea venisse permanentemente soppressa a causa degli incalzanti eventi bellici.
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My Journey to Burma 1940 by Flying Boat
"My Mother and I had passages booked on a Bibby line ship due to sail for Rangoon at the end of September 1939 i.e. after the summer holidays and my brother John had returned to Malvern College. Needless to say the outbreak of war with Germany on 3rd September knocked these plans on the head. [...]
No progress was made on the passage front until, in desperation, Thos. Cook asked if Mother and I would be prepared to fly out to Rangoon as a sea passage was virtually out of the question. We agreed what we would have to do this but the first passage we were offered was for February 1940. However this did mean that Mum, John and I were able to spend Christmas together. John came home from school with Chicken pox which he managed to pass on to me, so it was not the jolliest of times! Now for the journey itself... [...]
February 14th 1940
After breakfast we left by bus for Marisnane to continue our journey, Mum and I felt that we would gladly not board the plane again, if there had been any other option open to us! We all sat around in a rather ordinary café for a bit and then were told that there was a problem with the re-fuelling launch and we would not be leaving until after lunch, our destination an over night stop in Rome. We ate sparingly of lunch and eventually went out to the launch and then on to the plane, it was still freezing cold.
It started to snow and we all realised that the heating system in the plane was not working. All the metal fittings inside the plane became frosted and the glass of water I had on my table turned to ice! The planes carried fur lined foot muffs and blankets for this eventuality and we all sat shrouded in blankets endeavouring to keep warm. Also these aircraft, being very wide-bodied, allowed one to get up and walk about and there was a rail down one side where you could lean and look out of the windows. You were able to see quite a lot. These aircraft were not pressurised and therefore could not fly very high.
We were much relieved to land at Lake Bracciano some miles outside Rome. Mum by this time was pretty exhausted and our RAF friend kindly bought her a whisky to put in her tea we were all served before leaving for Rome. Whisky was a most expensive item in Mussolini’s Italy at this time, so it was very generous and kind of the young man. Rome looked lovely with all the lights on in the city, of course this was before Italy came into the war, and we had come from blacked out Britain. We were accommodated in a very grand hotel and after a short rest and a change of clothes we went down to dinner. I forgot to mention that when we left Poole another flight took off bound for Durban and we met up with the passengers from that plane in the evenings. Amongst them were a niece with her uncle and aunt. She was a little older than me.
After the meal they invited me to join them on a tour of the sights of Rome, Mum was too tired to come, so off we went and visited the Coliseum the Forum, St. Peter’s and the Victor Emmanuel Memorial all were splendidly floodlit. We got back to the Hotel to find a very anxious Mum, after we had left she realised she didn’t really know these people very well and wondered if she would see me again!!
February 15th 1940
After breakfast we went back to Lake Bracciano and after some delay we went on to the plane for a short flight to Brindisi for re-fuelling.
There was some technical problem here I seem to remember, and we eventually set off again but only made it as far as Corfu where we were destined to stay the night. This was another unscheduled stop over as was Rome!" [...]
Joma Johnson, WW2 People's War
pubblico e raccolti dalla BBC, visitabile a bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar.
by the BBC, which can be found at bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar.
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RMA Caledonia by "Flatus Veteranus"
"As a boy of eleven, accompanied by my mother and 13 year-old sister, I flew from Poole Harbour, Dorset to Rangoon, Burma (Myanmar) in the Short C (Empire) Class flying boat Caledonia. The flight was over the period 2-8 May 1940. Imperial had only just become BOAC... My memories of this journey are still quite vivid, but I have just stumbled in my archives over a letter written by my mother (long deceased!) within days of our arrival in Rangoon. This has filled in forgotten details of places and timings... I am contemplating posting an account of our journey on this board, because there cannot be too many people around now who flew the Imperial route and who can review the experience through the eyes of a retired aviator of the jet era. (On the other hand, many might wish the bloody old fart just to shut up - which I could quite understand!)... [...]
Friday 3 May [1940]
We were called at 0545 and, after more prolonged immigration & customs formalities, we were airborne at 0800. Breakfast (cereals, omelettes and bacon, rolls and marmalade) had been brought from the hotel in thermos containers – just as well because the turbulence would have made cooking a real problem on this leg.
Despite the weather we saw a bit of Corsica and Monte Cristo and landed on Lake Bracciano, about 20 miles from Rome. My mother remarked that the lake was “so pretty, with an old town on a hill behind the landing stage”. My memories are that we were closely escorted by a surly bunch of armed sentries and that the atmosphere was hostile. I believe we were the last BOAC flight through Rome before Italy declared war. The weather was the excuse, but I recall from crew gossip that it was the atmosphere at Rome that decided the captain to overfly Brindisi, our next scheduled stop, and press on to Corfu. Out of Lake Bracciano we climbed to 15,000 ft to avoid the worst of the turbulence.
Being unpressurised we were made to lie back in our fully-reclining seats and blankets were issued, the C Class heating being rudimentary. We descended to contact again over the Adriatic and I remember the spectacular approach through the straits to Corfu, with weather and high ground all around us. The turbulence was quite vicious and the sight and smell of vomit all round drove me to the promenade deck where I hung onto the rail like grim death until the steward sent me back to my seat with a flea in my ear.
We only touched at Corfu for 20 mins and then battled on through the Ionian islands and up the Gulf of Corinth. By now some of the passengers were becoming quite exhausted with airsickness and I felt sorry for my sister, which probably did nothing to help her. The weather cleared for our landing at Piraeus and the captain did a wide circuit over the historic sites. It was a mystery to us how the Captain got ashore and to the hotel; he never shared the launch and bus with the passengers and crew members. Imperial Captains were God-like creatures and I presume he walked ashore. We stayed at the Hotel Grande Bretagne, of course, in Constitution Square – as much of a legend in those days, as Raffles and Shepherds. Mum says “we strolled out and saw the university. The garden squares were floodlit for a flower show and the shops were full of gorgeous flowers.” " [...]
[Pseudonimo] "Flatus Veteranus", pprune.org
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"La passerella degli Inglesi" |
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Il vecchio attracco degli idrovolanti della Imperial Airways, ora punto di imbarco a Bracciano del battello turistico, viene ancora oggi chiamato dalla gente del luogo “il pontile” o “la passerella degli Inglesi”.
Traffico intenso – due grandi idrovolanti passeggeri della Imperial fanno simultaneamente scalo all’Aerostazione di Bracciano: quello di sinistra sta ripartendo, mentre sul molo il personale di terra attende i passeggeri dell’altro aereo, che vengono portati a terra con un’imbarcazione.
L’utilizzo della nuova Aerostazione dura però solo 2 anni: la dichiarazione di guerra dell’Italia alla Gran Bretagna, il 10 giugno 1940, mette fine per sempre alla promettente parentesi.
Gli Inglesi torneranno sul Lago di Bracciano solo mezzo decennio più tardi, questa volta non da civili ma da militari, appartenenti alle truppe di occupazione/liberazione, che, vincitrici del Secondo Conflitto Mondiale, prenderanno pieno possesso dell’Idroscalo di Vigna di Valle. |
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