He received a B.S in Aeronautical Sciences from the Italian Air Force Academy, large number of competitions (for example Top Gun in Miramar- USA) and then he became test pilot.

Qualifications: a large number of patents of aircrafts and copters (from Tornado to Space Shuttle)

More than 4.000 flying hours (going beyond the sound barrier).

"...When I was a child, sitting on the top of the hill close to my home, I saw, near at hand, the air force jets speeding along the sky over my head.
A fatal attraction! That day I decided to become an astrounat. I was eight and I enjoyed myself with model aircrafts…"

Mission STS-75

"...I've always thought of space and it was like a dream when I was admitted to ESA (European Space Agency). Four years of training and now I'm sitting in the middle seat of Space Shuttle Cockpit for a 16 days mission" (Cheli was the only "not American" austronat who obtained the Space Shuttle pilot qualification. Editor's note)

(Left photo: the Columbia shuttle with the rockets lift off with extreme power)

"…I wanted to go beyond Mach 2 (reached with Tornado jet). I traveled 24.000 kmph with the Shuttle"

"…I' ll never forget the re-entry: when the engines started to re-entry in the atmosphere, all happened very fast. The fist 10 minutes was a free fall till you arrived in the entry point Mach 24,7. Plasma wrapped the Columbia which change to incredible colors, from green, to pink and red. Then we flew over Texas and Louisiana at Mach 10-12 and the perception of the speed was sensational.

From August 1996, Cheli became Chief Test Pilot of Alenia Aeronautica in Torino, Italy, and as such worked extensively on the development programme of the Eurofighter Typhoon. In December 2007, Cheli became Director of Operational Development at Alenia Aeronautica. While assigned to this job he still flies on all development programmes of the company.

Left photo: June 2003, Paris Air Show, Le Bourget, the performance of the Liutenent Maurizio Cheli with Typhoon Eurofighter. By his chief test pilot work, the Italian Aeronautical Industry was the first in producing and delivering the Eurofighter Typhoon so awaited by nations of the european trust

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