In order to understand how Aermeccanica was born, it is necessary to tell the story of Giacomo Pinza, the father of the two founders. Giacomo was born in 1897 and from the age of 12 started working in a famous aeronautical company of the time, Caproni in Vizzola Ticino, as a light aircraft operator between 1909 and 1918.
During the First World War, he was transferred to the United States to assist in the maintenance work for the Italian pilots and together, had the task of teaching the Americans the operation of the aircraft produced by Caproni. On returning from the American experience, he did other jobs until he opened a car repair shop with a fuel pump in 1930.
However, the love for aeronautics was not extinguished and even before the foundation of Aermeccanica inside the workshop, flanked by his two sons, he began to perform some processing of components and aeronautical parts. When Giacomo died in 1970, the two sons, Sergio and Aldo, following the teachings of their father, increased the aeronautical workings until they founded Aermeccanica in 1972 and completely divested other work.
The two brothers worked on the maintenance of helicopters, seaplanes and light aircraft. Sergio specialized in engines while Aldo worked on engine accessories and non-destructive tests. In 1985, they increased the maintenance capacity by adding the generator starter for turbine engines. But it was in the late eighties that Aldo and Sergio, with the help of Sergio’s son Gianluca, increased the services offered with the introduction of maintenance on wheels, brakes, slide rafts, life vests, batteries and assembly cylinders for passenger transport aircraft, thus shifting the company’s core business to commercial aviation. During these years, Aermeccanica has grown to become a leader in its field offering quality support to airlines, aircraft and helicopter manufacturers in addition to brokers with highly specialized personnel with extensive experience in aeronautics.
Aermeccanica, with its strategic position near Malpensa International Airport, is not only a point of reference as a MRO in Italy but also in the whole EMEA area. After 50 years since the foundation of Aermeccanica, it is in continuous expansion thanks to the arrival of the Pinza family’s fourth generation that carries on the tradition founded in the early 1900s by the progenitor Giacomo.
