Our History

After building several remarkable reproductions, including the Rotorway Scorpion helicopter, the Fokker Dr.I, the Blériot XI monoplane and the Wright Flyer I (1903), as well as acquiring an original De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth dating from the 1940s, Giancarlo decided to fulfil a long-held dream: to create a dedicated airfield where his aircrafts could be preserved and displayed in a museum devoted to the history of aviation.

The ideal location was found in Nervesa della Battaglia, on privately owned land. The project to establish an airfield was enthusiastically welcomed both by the landowners and by the local municipal administration.

With the expertise and collaboration of a fellow pilot and architect Renato Fornaciari, the airfield facilities were designed in 1996. The airfield was dedicated to Major Francesco Baracca, Italy’s most celebrated First World War fighter ace, who was killed in action over the Montello hill on 19 th June 1918.

The name Jonathan was chosen by Giancarlo Zanardo as a tribute to Jonathan Livingston Seagull, the famous novel by Richard Bach, whose protagonist embodies the ideals of freedom, excellence and the constant pursuit of one’s limits through flight.

The first structure to be built was the small hangar located at the entrance to the airfield, providing a home for the Collection’s earliest aircraft.

In 2009, a historic Bessonneau hangar, dating back to the First World War, was acquired. Following an extensive restoration and the installation of a new canvas covering, the hangar became home to additional aircraft within the Collection. It was subsequently dedicated to Engineer Gianni Caproni, the renowned Italian aviation pioneer and aircraft manufacturer.

In 2017, thanks to the support of the Veneto Regional Government and the Municipality of Nervesa della Battaglia, a third and much larger hangar was constructed to house the Caproni Ca.3, the Jonathan Collection’s most ambitious restoration and reconstruction project. This new building was dedicated to Francesco Baracca.

Today, thanks to this latest expansion, the museum is home to twelve historic aircraft, four of which remain in flying condition. These aircrafts regularly participate in national and international air displays, where they continue to tell the story of aviation in the most authentic way possible—by taking to the skies once again.

In 2011, the Jonathan Collection Foundation – Famous Historic Aircraft – ONLUS (Italian Non-Profit Organization) was established through the commitment of its three founding members: Giancarlo Zanardo, who donated the entire aircraft collection; the owner of the land, who made available the site on which the Francesco Baracca Hangar was built; and the Municipality of Nervesa della Battaglia, which also contributed financially to its construction.

The Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, restoring and promoting its collection of historic aircrafts while safeguarding the heritage of aviation and fostering an appreciation of flight as an important historical, technological and cultural legacy.

Today, the Jonathan Collection Foundation is governed by a Management Committee chaired by its founder, Giancarlo Zanardo. The Committee brings together pilots, aviation historians and professionals united by a shared passion for flight and a commitment to preserving the nation’s aeronautical heritage.