Moizo, Riccardo

From OnAirpower.org

Moizo, Riccardo

Name:	Moizo, Riccardo
Nationality:	Italian
Remarks:	Early Italian aviator who participated in the Italo-Turkish War and became both the first pilot to have his aircraft damaged by ground fire, and the first pilot to force-land and be taken prisoner.

[edit] Biography

In 1911 Capt. Moizo was a member of the First Aeroplane Flotilla under the command of Capt. Carlo Piazza. The unit was part of the Italian expeditionary forces sent to occupy Tripolitania during the Italo-Turkish War. Moizo made the first unofficial combat flight of the war on October 22, 1911, when during a test flight of his aircraft he flew over Ottoman troops. Later in the war, on September 10, 1912, Moizo was forced to land his Nieuport behind Ottoman lines and was taken prisoner, making him the first military aviator to be captured and become a POW^[1].

In 1921, Col. Moizo attended the Washington Conference, serving as an advisor on military aviation for Italy^[2].