Magni P.M 3/4 Vale

This monoplane for sport and training can still today be considered as one of the most original creations of its time, both for its specifications and for its perfect construction. The designer and builder of this plane was Piero Magni, an Italian aviation pioneer. He was a First World War pilot, and in 1919 had already obtained the first patent for a monoplane with load bearing struts and aerodynamic brakes; these features then became widely used as standard. In 1924 he built the PM1 Vittoria and the PM2 Vittoria in the Costruzioni Aeronautiche workshop in Meda that he founded; these planes were fitted with the "minimum penetration cowling" which then became widely known as the "NACA cowling". Together with Dr. Enrico Cattaneo, in 1931 he built the first Italian armoured plane. In 1934 Magni built the PM 3/1 "Vale" in the new factory in Taliedo; this was followed in 1937 by the PM 3/a "Vale", which he donated to the Museum.