E - Finmeccanica

F O C U S
9/2010 FINMECCANICA MAGAZINE
VOLANDIA: HISTORY
TAKES FLIGHT
Marco Reguzzoni
Chairman of Volandia
MAY SAW THE INAUGURATION OF A PARK AND MU-
SEUM NOT FAR FROM MALPENSA AIRPORT THAT
COUNTS FINMECCANICA AMONG ITS FOUNDING
PARTNERS. VISITORS CAN EXPLORE AN AREA COVER-
ING 60,000 SQUARE METRES CONTAINING MORE
THAN 30 AIRCRAFT AND 1,000 MODELS. A VOYAGE
THROUGH WORLD AVIATION’S PAST TO ITS PRESENT
There are already numerous
grounds for calling Varese
the ‘province with wings’,
and since May there is yet another
reason why this description is
so fitting: Volandia, the park and
museum in Vizzola Ticino, was inaugurated
on 8 May on the site
of the former Caproni workshops
founded in 1910, just a few metres
from Malpensa Airport with
a direct connection to Terminal 1.
Passion, talent, persistence and
determination were the vital ingredients
that enabled all those
involved in this wonderful undertaking
to complete a project that,
I am confident, will help the
province of Varese to spread its
wings even further, managing to
charm both those who already
have a strong interest in aircraft
and those who are yet to fall under
their spell. In other words,
Volandia is an excellent opportunity
to help people find out
more about our sector, the companies
in it and the aspects that
make it unique. I can guarantee
that few will remain untouched
by the magic and grandeur they
feel upon entering the park,
which covers an area of 60,000
square metres and where more
than 30 aircraft and 1,000 models
are on display, taking visitors
on a journey through the history
of world aviation. Special attention
is dedicated to the leading
companies in the sector:
These pages: Volandia, the park
and museum in Vizzola Ticino, Varese
Caproni, SIAI Marchetti, Macchi
and Agusta, to name but a few.
There is also technical equipment
such as flight simulators
and an outdoor play park for our
youngest visitors.
But I don’t want to deprive anyone
of the excitement of experiencing
the museum first-hand
by giving a detailed description
of the models on display, as it
simply wouldn’t be the same. My
words are unlikely to be able to
convey the essence of the
Volandia project, which is managed
by the Aeronautics Museum
Foundation and was
brought about by the commitment
of the Province of Varese
and the Lombardy Region. The
project counts Finmeccanica,
the SEA airports, Fondazione
Cariplo, the municipality of
Varese and the municipalities
of the Malpensa area, the Air
Vergiate flight training organisation,
Fiera Milano, Parco del
Ticino natural park, Fondazione
Comunitaria del Varesotto, Sec-
ondomona SpA and Fondazione
BPU among its partners and
founders. Looking back, 15 years
went by between the first steps
being taken in the project and
its completion. This stage is at
the same time both the conclusion
and the start of a journey
that I have shared with local
residents, the institutions and
the many volunteers from the
Friends of Volandia association,
who include enthusiasts and
former employees of aeronautics
companies. For the past 15
years, we have been working
tirelessly to make this dream a
reality, and I feel it is important
to emphasise that this is a
dream shared by many of the
people who have worked in this
sector and who still work in it
today. The flight industry, and
now Volandia too, represents an
irreplaceable driving force in
this region and is emblematic
of the strong ties between past
and present that cannot but
give us hope for the future.
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