On 27 August, 1940, the first prototype was tested for 10 minutes over the Taliedo airfield by pilot Mario De Bernardi.
On 16 September that same year it was flown for another 5 minutes, thus undergoing the acceptance flight test in order that the second
prototype was upgraded. The latter made its maiden flight on 11 April, 1941. Low-altitude flights were made over Rome.
These flights were recognized by the F.A.I. (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale) to be the first ever made by a "jet".
Truth to tell, the plan conceived by the German, Hans von Ohain, and the Heinkel group, whereby the extraordinary He.178 aircraft
was flown precisely a year before, on 27th August, 1939, but had been kept secret.