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I agree:

Aeroporto Militare Carlo Piazza e campo volo Gino Lisa (Mirafiori)

Gino Lisa

In 1911 Mirafiori was the first airport in Turin, used for both civil and military purposes. Entitled to the aviators Carlo Piazza and Gino Lisa, the flying field played an important role in the history of Italian aeronautics until the fifties. During the Second World War, it was bombed, on the night of 13 July 1943, by the RAF.

1. History of the building
2. Bombing

1. History of the building

At the beginning of the nineteenth century Italy experienced a period of intense development in the field of aeronautics and Turin became an important center for this sector, arousing the interest of the industry and the curiosity of the citizens.
The first test of flight in Turin, carried out by the French pilot Léon Delagrange on July 8th 1908, gathered a large audience of spectators in Piazza d'Armi.
In a short time in the Piedmontese capital, the industries dedicated to the design and production of aircraft (Chiribiri, Miller, SIT, Pomilio, Fiat) are multiplying and the Mirafiori field becomes the site for the testing of the equipment and the first aviation races.
In 1911, on the occasion of the celebrations of the fiftieth anniversary of the Unification of Italy, the flight field became the first civilian and military airport in Turin, as well as the most important in Italy.
After the opening of a flying school in 1912 and in conjunction with the start of the Libyan war, the airport acquires a more marked military function.
A debate has been open for some time on the name of Mirafiori airport. The official name is "Regio Aeroporto Carlo Piazza", in honor of the Italian aviation soldier and pioneer; but the area designated for civil use is commonly referred to as the "Gino Lisa Flight Field", aviator and war hero.
Starting from the second post-war period, gradually losing its military and civil functions, the Mirafiori airport was demolished.
On the field once occupied by the flying field, the first nucleus of the Research Area of the National Research Council is built and since 1977 it has been the seat of the Gustavo Colonnetti Park, an important mathematician from Turin.

Easily visible on GE Pro set to 1943, the OP's picture is on the site.

IG

Asturias56 has the name now - Parco Colonnetti . I've got pictures of Idroscalo Turin, and they were going to be for another challenge - maybe not for a while now.

dook has the name of the airfield when it was in use - Mirafiori, and the first airfield in Turin, built in 1910. The second airfield was where the Aeroclub are now based.

Fiat have a plant close by - the buildings with the loop test track, which is still present today. Fiat named the Fiat 131, the Mirafiori.

There used to be a very comprehensive history of flying in Turin on the Aeroclub website - only available now via the way back machine. - this is the section about Gino Lisa and the Aero Club.

Quote:

In June of 1921, the sports aviation section (S.A.T.) of the Mirafiori airfield was renamed at a moving ceremony to honour the memory of Gino Lisa, Military Gold Medal for Valour, a young man who had learned to fly there, volunteered for the war, and at 21 years of age gave his life for his country, shot down trying to protect a colleague.The S.A.T. thus became known as the “Aerocentro Gino Lisa”, a denominati***on which was later changed to the “Aero Club Gino Lisa di Torino”.

I'm going to give this one to dook as he named the airfield correctly. Well persevered, and over to you.

Edit to add:

Quote:

On the 28th of March 1923, the day when the “Arma Aeronautica” (the Air Force) gained its independence from the Army, becoming an autonomous service, the military area at Mirafiori was named after Col. Carlo Maria Piazza (Busto Arsizio 1871 – Milan 1917), pioneer of military aviation (Military Pilot’s Licence No. 1) and decorated with the Silver Medal for Valour.

Agreed - I'd never have thought of Turin until Dook spotted it - then the FIAT works was a dead giveaway.................... I drive past it often enough.............

Many apologies for the late reply.

http://i64.tinypic.com/25u047a.jpg

I keep thinking PNG - no idea why though.

It looks like hang-gliders to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terry Dactil (Post 10332813)

It looks like hang-gliders to me.

More like weightshift microlights

Yep. That's the term I could not think of (for a powered hang glider thingy that uses a runway). :ok:

Not Australia or PNG.

I don't think hang gliders will help.

Are we N or S of the equator? (for some coarse-grained narrowing down!)

North.

Would you like something else which will probably help ?

Although northern hemisphere, it's south of the tropic of Cancer.

Thanks: next, E or W longitude?

I have a full overhead view if required.

Thar ye go.

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