Test flyer of captured Fiat G.55??
 

Hello all.
A friend of mine has just found out that the Allies obtained a Fiat G.55 when it was flown to Southern Italy by a defecting Italian pilot.
The fighter was then taken over by the British and tested at RAF Tangmere on 17 March 1945. Had it not been mindlessly scrapped after the war, it could have been the lone surviving aircraft of its kind. ;(

The name of the test pilot is nowhere to be found. I thought it could be the well-known Eric Brown, but the G.55 does not appear in the terrific list of all the aircraft he flew. So...Does anybody know who he was?

Thank you.
FvW

Re: Test flyer of captured Fiat G.55??
 

According to Phil Butler's War Prizes, the aircraft is believed never to have been flown due to corrosion received during the sea voyage to Britain.

The only photo I have seen (Steve Coates collection) is in the book and at least in ca 1946 the aircraft looks decidedly non flyable... :)

Cheers
Stig