Corradino D'Ascanio

Corradino D'Ascanio (1891 to 1981) was an Italian aeronautical engineer, born in Popoli and later based in Pisa, remembered for two separate contributions to transport engineering. Building on helicopter control patents he had developed since the 1920s, he designed a helicopter for the Italian manufacturer Agusta that became one of the first helicopters put into production, helping establish the coaxial and cyclic-pitch control principles used in later helicopter design. Separately, working for the industrialist Ferdinando Innocenti, D'Ascanio created the original motor scooter design that introduced a spar-frame body, a handlebar-mounted gear change and a front shield for weather protection, all features intended to make a two-wheeled vehicle usable by ordinary riders in everyday clothing rather than motorcycling enthusiasts. After a disagreement with Innocenti over how the scooter should be produced, D'Ascanio brought the design to Enrico Piaggio, whose company began building it in 1946 as the Vespa. D'Ascanio graduated in mechanical engineering in 1914, served in the Italian army in the First World War, was later promoted to general in the Regia Aeronautica for his propeller design work, and taught at the University of Pisa.