EAA Sport Aviation

tape to the windshield at the “horizon”
level to help gauge pitch.

Because the engine (and the thrust line) sits so high above the center of gravity, power must be applied carefully on takeoff to avoid pitching down and nosing over. And just like a real rooster in flight, it is very sensitive to wind conditions.

The paint scheme was designed by Giuliano Basso, an architect. He used an illustration of a rooster for his inspiration and completed the painting in stages, like a true artist. It was very time-consuming to apply, since every stroke is hand painted with a brush. I think you’ll agree the result is a masterpiece.

After some unsuccessful attempts to fly Il Gallo by other pilots, Ottone came to Nervesa Della Battaglia, a grass strip airport and home of Giancarlo Zanardo’s Jonathan Collection of rare aircraft. They include a 1941 de Havilland Tiger Moth and replica versions of the Wright Flyer, Fokker Dr. I, Blériot XI, and P- 51 Mustang. It’s also where I base my Midget Mustang.

Ottone asked if anyone at the airport would like to try to fly the airplane. I said, “No, this cannot fly!” A lot of guys tried taxiing, and everyone around the airport had something to say about how Il Gallo should be handled.

A few months later, in December 2011, Ottone asked me again, and I said, “Okay, but just to taxi.” The first morning I tried, it was very foggy—just 1,000 feet of visibility. The trees at the end of the runway were just visible through the mist. I thought it was okay for taxiing, but not flying.

As we pulled Il Gallo from the hangar, I noticed there were three hunters in the woods at the end of the runway. They looked astounded to see a large bird racing down the runway toward them. Since it was still hunting season, I was concerned they might take a shot at me.

After several high-speed taxi runs, I got
the feel for Il Gallo’s pitch control (using
the tape strip for reference really helped)
and slowly became familiar with how to

Even though Francis
Rogallo was an American,
the fact that his name
includes the Italian word
for “rooster” started the
process going.

apply power without nosing over. I decided that the adventure would continue and accelerated to 85 mph and lifted off. It was remarkably quiet in flight, and some people called the police when they saw such a large bird flying through the sky. When the police arrived at the airfield, there were smiles all around. Il Gallo continues to create joy and amusement whenever it flies.