On the 1 November 1911, he flew his early model Etrich Taube monoplane against Ottoman military in Libya. He took four grenades ("Cipolli") to a leather pouch, each of a size of grapefruit and weighing approximately four pounds. Flying at an altitude of 600 feet, Gavotti screwed in the detonators and tossed each missile over the side - three onto the Tagiura (Jagiura) oasis, and one more onto military camp at Ain Zara. Gavotti’s scheme injured no one.