The Command of the Schools AM / 3rd Air Region "graduates" the students of the flight schools of Galatina and Frosinone. Among them are also the new helicopter pilots of the Fire Brigade and the Harbor Office.
They are part of different organizations, they will fly different aircraft and carry out different jobs but, since June 26, they have in common an "eagle" on the chest. For the personnel of the Air Force we speak of "Military Pilot License", for the National Fire Brigade Corps of "Helicopter Pilot License", and for that of the Port Authorities it is a "Qualification" for piloting of the helicopter. But the substance does not change. These are the fifteen new pilots who have just completed a long and difficult training course: nine, all of the Arma Azzurra, trained at the 61st Wing of Galatina - Lecce and are destined for "fighter" and "remote piloting" lines "; the other six, of which three from the Fire Brigade and one from the Harbor Master's Office, as well as two from the AM, come from the 72 ° Stormo di Frosinone, a training school for rotary wing aircraft, and will therefore be used on helicopters.
The event, organized by the School Command of the AM / 3rd Air Region of Bari, on which the two flight departments depend, took place in the military airport of Galatina, in strict compliance with the restrictions imposed by the current health emergency and in an open space in front of the structure that houses the ITS T-346 integrated training system, the flagship of the Salento air base.
The two Stormo Commanders, immediately after pinning the coveted "Aquila" on the jacket of the newly patented, congratulated the young pilots for the milestone reached.
Col. Alberto Surace, at the helm of the "Sixty-first", wanted to underline how the event represents the crowning of a dream for these kids who have always had a passion for flying and have decided to put that passion at the service of our country.
Col. Davide Cipelletti, Commander of the 72nd Stormo, praised "the ability of the Stormo staff and the attenders to cope with the difficulties of the moment in a positive way, in knowing how to reorganize while remaining focused on achieving professional and personal goals", inviting patents to be "proud of your goal as we are for you. Become fully aware of what you have done so far to fulfill your ambitions; this awareness will be the force with which you can face all future challenges, certain of your abilities".
For the occasion, the Air Force Chief of Staff, General of the Air Team Alberto Rosso, through a video message sent to the young drivers immediately after the event, he wanted to congratulate: "Today you are wearing an emblem that is a source of pride and which testifies not only your commitment but also all the attention that the Air Force has dedicated to guaranteeing you a modern training and that allows you to work in a serious, professional, safe and at the height of the times. It is not a goal, it is not a point of arrival but simply the start of a journey". Then addressing in particular to the newly patented Arma Azzurra, he reminded them that the Turreted Eagle, symbol and emblem of the military pilot, as well as being "a choice of life, represents your reason for being in the Armed Forces".
Il 61st Wing of Lecce-Galatina, a flight school with long traditions, provides for the training and training of pilot students on jet aircraft. Today it is in fact an international reality that hosts pilots and instructors from all over the world: an excellence therefore at the service of the country, which offers an integrated flight training system among the most advanced in the world.
Il 72 ° Stormo, located on the Airport of Frosinone, has the task of educating and training the personnel of the Air Force for the achievement of the "Helicopter Track" military pilot license (MPLH - Military Pilot License Helicopter Track - Phase 3A and 3B, respectively on TH500B and AW139), that for pilot military helicopter (BMPE) for the personnel of the Armed Forces and the helicopter pilot license (BPE) for visitors belonging to the State Corps and from foreign countries. The Wing will be the protagonist in the near future of the project for the creation of the Joint Force Helicopter School which will see the Air Force and the Army together in the training of new rotary wing pilots.
https://www.facebook.com/AeronauticaMilitareOfficialPage/videos/297764854687401/?vh=e