Ansaldo “Balilla” A.I

The Ansaldo A.1 of 1917 abandoned the “W-shape” of the Warren truss system from the SVA models for a smaller upper wing and conventional wire-braced struts. More horsepower delivered speed, but maneuverability suffered. Still, the Italian Air Force needed more fighters and put them into limited production. Arriving in July 1918, they would only see service in home defense and training though one pilot did claim a victory over an Austrian aircraft while flying an A.1.

Post war, the Ansaldo A.1 was flown to great acclaim by American pilots flying with the Kościuszko Squadron in the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1921. The Soviet and Latvian governments, among others, also partially equipped their air forces with the A.1. In America, WW1 ace Eddie Rickenbacker set a 1920 air speed record flying the A.1. Approximately 300 were built between 1917 and 1921.

With the acquisition of an original Italian Isotta-Fraschini engine from WW1, Cole Palen embarked on the construction of the Ansaldo fighter. Most of the task fell to master woodworker, Andy Keefe, who began the complex build in 1990. The all-wood fuselage transitions from traditional box shape into a thin, inverted tapered triangle. At the time of Cole’s passing in 1993, the Ansaldo was nearly 80% complete. We do expect to finish it in the coming years and add it to our museum display.

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