The past month has been truly thrilling for EUROAVIA Napoli. It began with the opportunity to visit Novotech, an aerospace company from Campania. Founded by Leonardo Lecce—originally from the province of Taranto—the company also operates a facility in Naples, based in a hangar directly adjacent to Capodichino Airport, near runway 24. From inside the hangar we could watch aircraft taking off and landing at close range, which for aviation enthusiasts is about as good as it gets.
We were welcomed by Professor Lecce—“Professor” not only as a sign of respect, but because he previously taught Structures at the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II and served on the first technical investigative commission for the Ustica case. He introduced us to Novotech’s story, its past and ongoing collaborations, and especially to their flagship aircraft: the Seagull. The Seagull is an amphibious aircraft with folding wings, designed to be easily moored in a standard harbor while occupying roughly the same space as a conventional boat. We had the chance to examine it closely, sit in the cockpit, and see the most recent modifications carried out by Novotech’s technicians following flight tests off the coast of Castellammare.
Professor Lecce also shared the company’s guiding vision: to build a cutting-edge reality focused on research, innovation, and high-value collaboration—particularly with universities—rather than on large-scale serial production. Alongside him, we met Mr. Napolitano, head of the Naples site, who generously shared his professional experience and advice. He then guided us through the ongoing manufacturing work in the hangar: technicians manually cutting and shaping materials for the next prototype, while others were engaged in composite-material processing—the structural backbone of the Seagull. For EUROAVIA Napoli, meeting such an innovative team and getting to know Professor Lecce and his colleagues was both a pleasure and an honor. We left the visit inspired, and we hope to strengthen this collaboration in the future.
Soon after, thanks to our partnership with CESOP—Italy’s leading organization for career guidance and job fairs—we were invited to their “JobMeeting” event. This gave our association the chance to engage directly with major aerospace and engineering players such as Leonardo, AVIO, AYES, Avvale, Sycons, Daikin, Ghella, and many others. It was a valuable opportunity to expand our network and explore future collaborations.
Finally, on November 21st, our team PartenoRotor composed by: Dario Casola, Davide Ditomaso, and Francesco Sessa, won the Rotorthon Contest in Cologne (Germany) with their outstanding project, the OS Overwatch System. An incredible result that makes us proud and confirms the strength and ambition of our local community.With that, we close an unforgettable month for EUROAVIA Napoli. Stay tuned: new visits, events, and projects are already in the pipeline, and we can’t wait to share them with you.
