A smoke candle for indicate wind speed and direction to landing aircrafts on an classic Italian grass airfield (the planes are Macchi MC.200 “Saetta” fighter). Another practice in use when the absence of radio communications, control tower and air navigation services were quite natural as the signal code, ex. wind sleeve and landing T. On some little airports this practice, today disappeared, was in use until the half ’60 before the mandatory use of the radio for all airports and for all aircraft. Victor Sierra



Old-time practices 

Group shot of Italian personnel committed to salvage of a Savoia-Marchetti S.79 bomber seized by the German Forces after the armistice of the Kingdom of Italy with Allies, not recognized both by the III Reich and, afterwards, by the Benito Mussolini’s Repubblica Sociale Italiana (Italian Social Republic). Some former Italian Regia Aeronautica’s airplanes seized by the Germans and transferred in Germany was switched to Aviazione Nazionale Repubblicana, afterwards Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, or ANR, after their salvage by Italian personnel. As the S.79 of this photo, photographed likely in Austria or Southern Germany. The personnel not seem military (note the man on center with civilian clothes) but, likely, is composed by workers and technicians of aeronautical factories, in this case Savoia-Marchetti, charged of the overhauling and re-establishment of the flight conditions of the plane before its return on Northern Italy. Victor Sierra

An Italian bomber’s salvage

The wind sleeve indicate strong wind on Italian airfield during the WW2. In background a landing Macchi MC.202 fighter aircraft. Another image of ages ago when, without radio or control tower, were mandatory control the wind speed and direction through the wind sleeve and the runway in use trough the T landing. In theory the wind sleeve and the other ground signals still existing, but in fact are superseded and cancelled by the size of the modern airports, the radio communications and the radar control. Victor Sierra