The exhibition Ramon Casanova i Danés “The Hispano Madman” 1892-1968 is staged with the aim of showcasing this remarkable figure who stood out for his creative and entrepreneurial capacity, and his social commitment.
Ramon Casanova i Danés, a multifaceted man, was a huge mechanics and aviation enthusiast, ahead of his time and also with an interest in the Catalan political movement, sport and literature, all of which gained him the epithet "The Hispano Madman" (the "Hispano" was the name given by the people of Ripoll to the neighbourhood where he lived). His greatest contribution was the invention of the stato-jet or pulsejet, viewed as the greatest contribution to aeronautical technology made by any Catalan to date.
Up until the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War he led an intense and varied life divided between Ripoll and Campdevànol, where he was born. In Ripoll he dedicated many hours to his father's steelworks, which operated as the base of the Hispano-Suiza forge section, while dedicating his free time to his own interests and experiments. That is how he came to design and ultimately patent the pulsejet, despite having given up his studies because of a lack of economic and material resources.
Patented in 1917, Ramon Casanova's pulsejet came years ahead of the use made by the Germans of this propulsion system for their V-2 flying bombs, but it was not until that time that his ingenuity was recognised. His invention corresponds to the spirit of investigation that existed in the early 20th century regarding aviation, which was still in its infancy.
Partner bodies: Ripoll Catalan Capital of Culture 2013, Girona Provincial Authority, Campdevànol Local Authority, Ripollès District Council, Eduard Solé Foundation, Ripoll Ethnographic Museum, “la Caixa” Social Projects Fund and Comforsa.
