Alessandro Cagno

Italian racing driver

Alessandro Umberto Cagno, Umberto Cagno, nicknamed Sandrin (2 May 1883 – 23 December 1971) was an Italian racing driver, aviation pioneer and powerboat racer.

Apprenticed at 13 to a Turin engineering factory he was later recruited by Giovanni Agnelli as employee number 3 at F.I.A.T. (Fiat), where he progressed to be a test driver, Agnelli's personal driver and works racing team driver.

In 1906 he won the inaugural Targa Florio in Sicily after switching to the Itala team.Cagno co-founded 'AVIS-Voisin' (Atelier Voisin Italie Septentrionale) to build Voisin aircraft under licence.

He designed and tested aircraft, founded Italy's first flying school in Pordenone, and was the first person to fly above Venice.

After volunteering as a pilot for the Italo-Turkish War (1911–1912) in Libya he invented a bomb aiming device.

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