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Science
Madras Hotelier Takes to the Skies: D’Angelis' 1910 Biplane Debut
✍️ TOI City
🗓 12 Sep 2026, 10:40 AM
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In 1910, Italian‑born hotelier Giacomo D’Angelis built and flew a biplane in Madras, marking one of the earliest aviation experiments in the city.
In the early 20th century, when powered flight was still a novelty worldwide, Giacomo D’Angelis, an Italian-born hotelier living in Madras, took the initiative to design and construct his own aircraft.
The biplane was first tested at Pallavaram, a then‑new aerodrome near the city. D’Angelis conducted a brief flight that proved the aircraft’s basic functionality and demonstrated that local engineers could build a machine capable of sustained flight.
Shortly after, he staged a public demonstration at Island Grounds, drawing a crowd of curious onlookers. The event was widely reported in local papers and captured the imagination of the Madras populace.
The pioneering flight also caught the attention of Tamil poet and freedom‑fighter Subramania Bharati, who wrote about the aircraft in his columns, thereby linking the event to the broader cultural and nationalistic currents of the time.
The biplane was first tested at Pallavaram, a then‑new aerodrome near the city. D’Angelis conducted a brief flight that proved the aircraft’s basic functionality and demonstrated that local engineers could build a machine capable of sustained flight.
Shortly after, he staged a public demonstration at Island Grounds, drawing a crowd of curious onlookers. The event was widely reported in local papers and captured the imagination of the Madras populace.
The pioneering flight also caught the attention of Tamil poet and freedom‑fighter Subramania Bharati, who wrote about the aircraft in his columns, thereby linking the event to the broader cultural and nationalistic currents of the time.