Signor Stelio Frati was born in Milan, Italy in the year 1919.
The flair for aviation was shown in much early years of Frati when
he showed immense interest in aeromodelling. Later during the years
1938-1943 Frati enriched and fortified his knowledge by graduating
in mechanical engineering from Milan polytechnic. However the college
never had the division of aeronautical engineering during those
days but it could not stop Frati to polish his talents. In 1940
he was the Italian national champion for Powered free Flight models
and off the official record one plane even beat the world endurance
record of flying for two and a half hour continuously. In the polytechnic
also he designed a few sail planes in Centro Studi ed Esperienze
per il volo a vela (CVV). But the world know him much for
his contribution during the years 1941-43 for the design of AL12-
a military sailplane and the Assalto Radioguidato-
a flying bomb which was not much appreciated because of its unsophisticated
nature of flying it off first by the pilot and then getting bailed
out to be controlled and guided by the radio signal. In fact Assalto
Radioguidato was never used in action. The end of war in 1944 brought
changes in the Milan polytechnic with its opening of the Aeronautical
section. Frati was invited and he joined as a Deputy to professor.
He was there for a period of ten years not only teaching but enriching
his knowledge bank and chiseling his dreams for the later endeavors
for which the world still salutes him. 1954 Frati started his career
as a freelance designer for his airplanes and the next few years
created the masterpieces of art and technology. |
