Fred Ascani

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Alfredo John Ascani (May 29, 1917 - March 28, 2010) was an American Major General and test pilot of the United States Air Force. He was one of the "Men of Mach 1" and was considered father of Systems Engineering at Wright Field. Ascani was born on May 29, 1917 in Beloit, Wisconsin to Italian immigrants just 14 years after the Wright brothers achieved powered flight. His interest in aviation was sparked in 1927 when he watched Charles Lindbergh fly overhead in the Spirit of St. Louis on his historic flight to Paris. His family moved to Rockford, Illinois, several miles downriver from Beloit, where Ascani attended Rockford High School and enjoyed a hobby building model airplanes. He graduated as high school valedictorian in 1935 and attended Beloit College for two years. In 1937, Ascani was accepted at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He graduated 34th out of a class of 425 and in 1941 was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers. Engineering took a back seat to aviation when Ascani was sent to Hicks Field for initial flight training and Foster Army Air Field for advanced flight training.