The Fiat G-91 was a single jet-engine, arrow-shaped wing, bomber-fighter-observer designed by Giuseppe Gabrielli engineer and produced by the Italian aeronautical facility Fiat Aviazione starting in middle fifties. It was the winner of the NATO competition for the new light tactical support aircraft in 1953.
Mainly operated by the German Luftwaffe and by the Italian Air Force. In Italy it was also used by the Italian Aerobatic Team “Frecce Tricolori”. In Portugal also it was used by the Força Aérea Portuguesa during the operations in Portuguese Guinea and Mozambique from 1966 to 1973. The production lasted 19 years including 756 unit, 4 prototypes and 22 pre-production aircraft. Fiat Aviazione, after merging into Aeritalia, produced also 67 units of the twin engine variant called G-91-Y, that was operational with the Italian Air Force up to the replacement by the Aeritalia-Embraer AMX.
At the end of 1963 the G-91-PAN replaced the Canadair CL-13 (derived from the North American F-86 Sabre), up to the delivery of the Aermacchi MB-339-PAN in 1981. When the still operational G-91-PAN and R/PAN were assigned to the 2nd Wing up to the end of its very long operational life on the 9th April 1992, after 34 years of service.
25 G-91 were assigned to the 313° Aerobatic Training Group, most known as Pattuglia Acrobatica Nazionale (PAN) “Frecce Tricolori, all of them were conveniently modified by FIAT, mainly with the installation of the pitch damper, the replacement of the four 12.7 mm guns by counterweights and the installation of the smoke system fed by two underwing tanks.
The shown aircraft is the original soloist “Pony 10” arrived to Volandia on 7 February 2022 after a trip of 9000 km from the Seattle Museum of Flight. The original PAN painting scheme was renovated by the Volandia volunteer technicians helped by the students of the Maxwell Technical Institute of Milan.
Cpt Angelo Boscolo, who piloted as soloist this aircraft in 1978 and 79, will receive visitors onboard explaining instrumentation, characteristics and piloting procedures, in addition, depending on the visitor turnout, he will accommodate the curious on the pilot seat trying to feel the Top Gun emotions… even if on the ground.