He grew up just a few kilometres from Rivolto, in the municipality of Codroipo (Udine, Italy), home to Italy’s national aerobatic team “Frecce Tricolori”. His dream of becoming a military pilot was held back by a diagnosis of myopia. But becoming an aerospace engineer gave Simone Malisani another way to pursue his passion for flight. For the past four years, he has worked as an Aerostructures and UAS Mechanics Specialist at Leonardo’s Ronchi dei Legionari site, where he designs structural components for Leonardo’s uncrewed aerial systems, from fatigue analysis to flight testing.
Simone first encountered Leonardo during his research work at Politecnico di Torino: “I was working on a flight simulator prototype aimed at reducing gust loads on civil aircraft. Leonardo was one of the companies involved in the project. When the research ended,” he explains, “I realised that the academic world, while fascinating, wasn’t the right place for me to apply what I’d developed. I needed something more dynamic.” That dynamism, he found right away at Leonardo. He joined as a consultant in mid-2021 and, just a few months later, became a full-time employee at age 28. “At Ronchi dei Legionari, I get to follow the entire product cycle. It’s been incredibly rewarding to move from theory to practice and see the components I helped design take flight.”
Throughout his journey, Simone has worked with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and experience levels. The team he works with today is young, with an average age under forty: “It’s a stimulating environment where I’ve learned a lot from others and had the chance to tackle challenges collaboratively.” When asked why he didn’t pursue a working experience abroad, like many of his peers, Simone has no hesitation: “A company like Leonardo offers wide-ranging opportunities and the freedom to explore different paths. We work in an international setting, which allows us to grow and take on new roles – even abroad – while staying within the same company.” He may not have joined the Frecce Tricolori, but today Simone brings the same energy and quick thinking to help new projects take flight.