On Mar. 8, 2011, Toulouse-based turboprop aircraft manufacturer ATR delivered to Brazil’s airlines Azul Linhas Aéreas an ATR 72 painted pink, symbolizing the promotion of breast cancer awareness. Serialled PR-AZV, the aircraft, on its fuselage, promotes FEMAMA, a Brazilian non-profit organization dedicated to fighting the disease.
Pink, that is the characteristic colour of the city of Toulouse, the birthplace of both ATR and the center of excellence for cancer research, inspired the name of the aircraft: “La ville rose”, French for “The pink city”.
David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.