When did Giovanni Agusta build his first airplane?

Short answer

In 1907: that year Giovanni Agusta designed and built a biplane called Ag1, which he began assembling in a small workshop in Capua. Tests were conducted on February 14 and 15, 1910, at the Piazza d'Armi in Capua, where the aircraft, towed by a car, eventually took off and flew about seventy meters.

Published: November 1, 2026 · Updated: November 1, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

When did Giovanni Agusta build his first airplane?

Spad XIII "Smith IV" - DPLA - a25c1e12467c2f49f2b531876a080cf5 (page 4)

A biplane called Ag1

Giovanni Agusta, a count from a family of Sicilian origin, was born on October 4, 1879, in Parma. In 1907 he designed and built a biplane he called the Ag1, which he began assembling in a small workshop in Capua.

The February 1910 trials

The trials took place on February 14 and 15, 1910, at the Piazza d'Armi in Capua. Towed by a car, the biplane eventually lifted off the ground after several attempts and stayed airborne for about seventy meters.

From his own factory to helicopters

In 1923 Giovanni founded the company "Costruzioni Aeronautiche Giovanni Agusta," which initially employed around forty workers. Agusta died in 1927 and left the company to his four sons —Domenico, Vincenzo, Mario, and Corrado— all still quite young, and to his wife, Giuseppina Turretta, who temporarily took control. The big change came with the signing, in May 1952, of an agreement with the American company Bell to build the Bell 47 helicopter under license for the European market. From 1952 on the company manufactured helicopters under license, first Bell's and later Sikorsky's, and later began producing its own models. The Agusta company became part of AgustaWestland in 2000.