Alaparma Baldo 75

In the copy of the 1953 edition of the owners manual there is a single photograph of I-DONF which might be the prototype.

In the copy of the 1953 edition of the owners manual there is a single photograph of I-DONF which might be the prototype.

Sorry to drag this old thread up again, does anyone know if any of these survive anywhere, i believe they were trialled by the Italian Airforce, are there any preserved in Italy?……..Martin

Sorry to drag this old thread up again, does anyone know if any of these survive anywhere, i believe they were trialled by the Italian Airforce, are there any preserved in Italy?……..Martin

Flying into Gatwick in 74/75, the Baldo would probably not have been troubled by many, if any, airliners! You could probably have had a good 30 minutes with no commercial movements and certainly no Airbuses!!

Ah, those were the days, then!

Flying into Gatwick in 74/75, the Baldo would probably not have been troubled by many, if any, airliners! You could probably have had a good 30 minutes with no commercial movements and certainly no Airbuses!!

Did it transit through Gatwick, as Willip26 indicates? If so I would have loved to have seen such a bantamweight on its finals preceded by Airbuses and followed by Boeings! Furthermore taxiing to the GA terminal (if there was still one at Gatwick at that time) would have been, to say the least, a bit of an adventure. Had it accidentally caught itself in the thrust of an airliner engine, probably it would have been blown back in the direction from which it had just come!

yes-it was flown italy to redhill (pilot still alive in devon)
Yes it had the Uk registration applied

I remember seeing the aircraft as I-DONP in the Tiger Club hangar at Redhill. Did it fly in? Was the British registration ever applied to the aircraft?

Planemike

I`ve always had a thing for something a bit different, and that certainly is!……Martin

I wouldn’t have put my real name to that post Martin!

What a great looking plane, any idea how many survive?……..Martin

The remains were taken away(sold actually) Nweald to Berkshire-where it was decided that that the ‘group’ rebuild at NW had finally seen off any chance of a resurrection. It was then sold onwards to Gloucestershire and the engine use in an automobile

I am sure this was a thread about 18months ago to which I responded.

G-BCRH was finally broken up at North Weald several years ago having arrived from various Kent locations including Lydd. The plan was to restore it but it was found to be beyond restoration due to corrosion and wood rot. Only a few metal fitting were left and taken away, all the wooden parts were burnt/binned.

Phil K

Thanks for the info, Phil, although sad to read of the aircraft’s apparent demise.

Wicked Willip :diablo:

I am sure this was a thread about 18months ago to which I responded.

G-BCRH was finally broken up at North Weald several years ago having arrived from various Kent locations including Lydd. The plan was to restore it but it was found to be beyond restoration due to corrosion and wood rot. Only a few metal fitting were left and taken away, all the wooden parts were burnt/binned.

Phil K

Oh you mean this one, G-BCRH, never heard of it! Small photo below.:)

http://www.aviator.nl/types/alaparma_ap-75_baldo.htm

Yes, that was certainly the one, although I remember it as I-DONP, when it first arrived in this country via Gatwick and then in the Tiger Club hangar at Redhill.

I never saw it fly and believe it subsequently moved to Challock but am surprised nothing has been heard of it since.

Wicked Willip :diablo:

It certainly qualifies for the W&R (weird & ronderful) category and puts the Tawney Owl in the shade. But still no-one has answered Willip’s question – where is it now? Has G-BCRH returned to Italy or is it lurking in the UK somewhere?

Scanned this pic from the ‘illustrated encyclopedia of aircraft’ following Ray’s mention of it in his entry above, yes it did fly ! Keith.

Some info. on the Alparma 75

I-DOND
http://www.aviastar.org/air/italy/alaparma_baldo.php

Go to the site in the quote above where I have entered some details of interest.
Ray

Whatever did become ultimately of the Alaparma Baldo 75?

Wicked Willip :diablo:

The plane was de-registered seventeen years ago. The owner did live in Kent, why not drop him a line!