Nestled in the heart of Piedmont, Italy, the Giovanardi family has turned a shared passion for flying into a thriving enterprise that embodies innovation, craftsmanship, and a deep respect for natural aerodynamics. Their company, Vertical Fly, is not just a hub for helicopter manufacturing and maintenance—it’s a testament to the harmony between human ingenuity and the awe-inspiring freedom of vertical flight. This is the story of a humble family, that begs to be told.
The Giovanardi legacy begins with Mauro, whose fascination with flight was sparked in 1976 when he built his very first motorized hang glider. Despite stepping away from his passion for family obligations, Mauro’s dreams never wavered. Years later, he returned to the skies, earned his pilot’s licence, and immersed himself deeply in the design of helicopters.
Raffaella has shared a passion for flying with her husband from the very beginning, supporting him every step of the way on this journey. When the dream became a profession, she decided to pour all her energy into this extraordinary project, which now involves the entire family. Vertical Fly is not just a company but the realization of a shared vision that combines love of aviation, dedication, to quality engineering and family team spirit. The powers of an Italian mother are well known.
The Giovanardi children, Andrea and Asya, inherited this passion. Andrea, with a childhood spent tinkering in the family workshop, pursued a career blending mechanics and aviation. His expertise ensures every weld, inspection, and design detail reflects Vertical Fly’s commitment to excellence. Meanwhile, Asya, inspired by her father’s flying lessons, earned a PPL(H) licence in 2019. She now channels her love of flight into both passion and profession, contributing to the family’s legacy. With everyone on-board, and headed in the same direction, the stage was set for this family to take-off, literally.
Necessity: The Mother of Invention
Recognizing inefficiencies in existing models, Mauro reimagined helicopter components from the ground up, from the landing gear, through turbines and new rotor blades. Vertical Fly’s services include complete helicopter maintenance: Comprehensive services for the Raven 101, Syton 130, and other ultralight models, ensuring peak performance through diagnostics, preventive care, and system upgrades. Turbine Services: Expert overhauls for Solar T62/32 turbines, with precision testing and optimization to enhance reliability. Blade Balancing: Static and dynamic balancing for main and tail rotors, improving flight stability and reducing wear. There’s nothing on a helicopter that can’t be serviced by Vertical Fly.
Engineering: Beyond a Business
Vertical Fly stands as a beacon for aviation engineering, offering high-quality ultralight helicopters, specializing in models like the RotorWay, Raven 101, and Syton 130. The company has elevated these helicopters’ legacy through meticulous design, maintenance, and upgrades, blending Mauro’s engineering prowess with Andrea and Asya’s modern insights, managed by Raffaella. The secret of the Giovanardi business success is undoubtedly the cohesiveness of the Italian family.
The Evolution of RotorWay Helicopters
Vertical Fly is instrumental in advancing the RotorWay legacy. The Raven 101 and Syton 130 helicopters, once reliant on retrofitted turbine technology, have been reimagined under Mauro’s direction. This re-engineering has introduced cutting-edge turbines, lightweight frames, and optimized landing gear, making existing helicopters more efficient, reliable, and more accessible to others. This constant cycle of improvement has ironed out the wrinkles, producing better helicopters.
The Complete Helicopter Manufacturer
Probably the crux of this article, is the fact that one dedicated family in Italy, has succeeded in producing helicopters, from skids to tail rotor. Every engine bolt, gearbox cog, exhaust stack and instrument dial, is designed and manufactured by the Giovanardi family. Extraordinary. This has to the best kept secret in the world of helicopter engineering, until now.
The Obvious Choice For RapidSky
When searching for helicopter solutions, we found many reasonable options, but nothing compared to the single-source solution offered at Vertical Fly. The family’s crowning achievement is the ability to build helicopters from initial design to completion, without relying on anyone. They just do it. This resonated with me, and we contracted their services to build the RapidSky VF2—a helicopter produced entirely in their Italian workshop. Slightly larger than the RotorWay, the VF2 boasts Italian-made components, including blades, turbines, and frames. It embodies the Giovanardi family’s dedication to taking RotorWay’s heritage forward while infusing it with unparalleled innovation. The RapidSky philosophy was not to re-invent the wheel, but rather find what works well, and make it even better. That gave rise to the all new RapidSky VF2.
“The Giovanardi family’s story is a testament to what happens when passion meets perseverance. Through Vertical Fly, they have not only revolutionized ultralight helicopter engineering but also fostered a culture of safety, and dedication. Their creations soar as an ode to their family’s bond, their innovation, and unyielding commitment to vertical aviation. The Giovanardi journey, isn’t just about building helicopters—it’s about your dreams taking flight. RapidSky seizes upon the chance to hitch a vertical ride!”
Herby Olschewski
RapidSky Founder & CEO
Click Here To Explore the RapidSky VF2
.