The Lilienthal Medal is awarded to Prof Piero Morelli for his extraordinarily eminent and wide-ranging services to the sport of gliding over more than half a century, and in particular for his work as a glider designer, notably of the M100; as author of numerous scientific and technical papers relating to sailplanes and motorless flight; as contest organizer and director, including Director of the World Gliding Championships in Rieti (1985); as captain of the Italian National Team at 10 World Gliding Championships; as IGC Delegate and OSTIV Board member; as Chairman of the OSTIV Sailplane Development Panel; as IGC Specialist for motor-gliding; and as originator and principal promoter of the initiative to create a new FAI monotype class of gliders, the World Class, which became a reality in 1994. Details of his achievements are: -Founder member of the Centro di Volo a Vela del Politecnico di Torino (CVT, 1952) and first President 1952 - 1958, -Co-designer with his brother Alberto of five prototypes (CVT-1 Zigolo (1954), CVT-2 Veltro (1954), M-100 (1959), CVT-4 Strale (1961)). The M-100 won the AeCI national design & prototype competition for the choice of the Italian training single-seater. Over 200 units of the M-100S, a modified M-100 to comply with the recently appeared FAI specifications of the new Standard Class, were produced in Italy and in France until 1974. -Member of the AeCI Gliding Commission from 1955 to 1959, President of same from 1983 to 1988. -First Italian pilot to achieve two diamonds on the Gold badge (1961). -Competing pilot in several Nationals, 1958 to 1969. When not competitor, organizer or director or official of many Italian Nationals since 1957, - Captain of the Italian National Team at 10 World Gliding Championships, 1960 to 1987. - Organizer and Director of the World Gliding Championships 1985 in Rieti. - Italian IGC Delegate from about 1961 to 1990, - OSTIV Board member for many years. Chariman of the OSTIV Sailplane Development Panel, SDP, 1976 to 1998, -Within FAI-IGC, on behalf of the AeCI, promoter of the initiative for the creation of a new FAI Class of gliders, the World Class; this became a reality in 1994. - Still active within OSTIV and IGC on the plenum on the development of this activity - For many years, selected as the IGC Specialist for Motorgliders and Motorgliding, reporting annually to the plenum on the development of this activity. - Awards in relation to gliding activity: - FAI Tissandier Diploma (1961), - OSTIV Plaque with Klemper Award (1989), - FAI Air Sport Medal no 13 (1991), - SSA Exceptional Achievement Award (1997), - SSA William S. Ivans Gold Medal (2001), - Piero Morelli, as Professor of Aeronautical Engineering at the Turin Technical University, produced a number of scientific and technical papers, many of which related to sailplanes and motorless flight
Giorgio is one of the best Italian gliding pilots with an astonishing numbers of victories, including two FAI World Gliding Championships, but this is not the reason why we want to celebrate him. He is an example of the highest sportsmanship, honesty and generosity and he has always worked for the Gliding community on a purely voluntary basis.
Giorgio has cooperated for many years with some Aeronautical Technical Institutes, giving technical lectures on gliding and flying with the most deserving students. He also takes gliding conferences in many flying clubs, coaching the pilots. He is also invited to primary and secondary schools on a regular basis, to instruct children on the beauty of Gliding and its huge educational value.
In 2007, he was invited by the Australian Gliding Federation for a month, giving lectures for over 40 hours of classroom and practice for about 70 hours of flight in 5 Australian states, educating over 30 coaches.
Thanks to his devotion to the Air Sport, Giorgio has already been awarded the following awards:
Knight of the Italian Republic
Diploma of Honour of the FAI
Olympic Committee Gold medal
Olympic Committee Silver Medal
Gold medal of the Province of Bolzano
