A century after one of the most audacious accomplishments in flying history, the Italian Air Force is commemorating the Norge airship expedition with a number of initiatives. On April 10, 1926, the N-1 airship, led by engineer Umberto Nobile and an international crew that included explorers Roald Amundsen and Lincoln Ellsworth, took off from Ciampino Airport in Rome for the Svalbard Islands, where it made the first flight over the North Pole after a 13,000 km journey across Europe and the Arctic Ocean. Umberto Nobile, born in 1885 in Lauro, Campania, showed an early aptitude for engineering, as well as a love of flight, which prompted him to specialize in aeronautics. His fascination in the polar regions, which were then largely unknown and impossible to reach, inspired him to work on increasingly reliable airships designed for harsh conditions. In the 1920s, Nobile built a name for himself with his airships, which could travel large distances while remaining stable in poor weather conditions. He created the Norge, a true engineering masterpiece, by carefully studying aerodynamics and choosing materials that could endure the extreme cold and powerful Arctic winds. He didn't merely design those perilous flights; Nobile himself led them, encountering challenges that would have tested even the most experienced pilots. The 1926 flyby was the result of years of preparation, testing, and determination.