Visit the 61 ° Stormo. That is: Galatina V4.0

(To Andrea Troncone)
01/10/15

Strange title, it is true, but it is in line with modern language, meaning that we are facing a new phase in the life of this department, contemporary with the introduction of a new training system that culminates with a new modern epipotent aircraft, propedeutic to the 4 generation fighter aircrafta and subsequent.

In August, we had the pleasure of being able to personally realize this epochal change that is taking place within the Air Force.

How come from a visit made in August, the article arrives in October? Because being the reason for this visit linked to the changes brought by the introduction of new machines (the most advertised is the Finmeccanica-Aermacchi T346 aircraft, but it will not be the only one) we wanted to know a little better the airplanes mentioned in the article, studying in depth the technical characteristics and talking with the test pilots, and our technical curiosities have been completed mainly during the recent celebration of the 55 years of the National Aerobatic Team, which we reported in another previous article.

Let's go back, however, to the things observed and discussed during our summer visit to the 61 ° Stormo di Galatina, a division of the Air Force known primarily for being the flight school from which young officers enter pilots and military pilots come out.

We immediately notice the new coat of arms, presented the 10 last May, but I think back with not a little nostalgia to the previous one (which I can hardly call old) because of the hopes it gave birth to me as a boy, when I would have given anything to become a military pilot and I'm sorry I can not find more traces of it.

Changing a coat of arms, in military heraldry, is an indicative act of profound transformation. Transformation that from time to time it is necessary to do to maintain an institution in step with the times and adequate to the task for which it is responsible.

... And here we talk about having to better prepare the pilots of the air component for the frontline tactical roles! Pilots who in the coming decades will be called to work for the air defense of our country and those other nations that have chosen, with complete satisfaction, the Italian Air Force as a partner in charge of training its military pilots.

Here in Galatina, pilots coming from other countries are also trained, and foreign instructors also work here who also teach our pilots.

We immediately realize this multinational synergy, for the flags of nationality of the 9 host countries (Singapore, Austria, Kuwait, Holland, Poland, Argentina, Greece) that welcome, at the entrance of the Palazzina Command of the Stormo, but also and above all from the Pilots' way of going that we cross in the corridors of the SOR (Squadron Operation Room), returning or departing for a flight training mission, and from their names we see impressed on helmets and flight suits in the equipment room.

The commander of the Stormo, col. Tarantino, devotes much of his time to a day of regular training. Actually, this is a day like any other, because here in Galatina every day is an "operational" day: you never stop and you get to even total 50 training missions a day. And, more significantly, they never stopped during the complicated transformation process that is taking place.

Just to clarify and give a better idea of ​​what happens here today, and what will happen in the near future, the commander of the 61 ° Stormo explains us the details.

It all started when, about a year ago and almost at the same time the arrival of the first T346 and crews "Lecce", was introduced the so-called "differentiated path" of the formation of military pilots, divided into 4 phases. It is now known, but in doubt it does not hurt to clarify what it is.

The "1 Phase" is carried out in Latina at the 70 ° Stormo and has the sole purpose of identifying which drivers have the potential to become military pilots, and to do this you must start by taking the official students and making them initially become airplane pilots, on propeller aircraft.

The "2 Phase" is the basic training common to all pilots and at the end of this phase the division into 4 dividing lines takes place: aerotactic line, transport line, helicopters line and finally remote piloted aircraft.

For each of these phases there is a "3 phase" which is the specific advanced training in function of the Pilot sector of use and at the end of this, after having obtained the military pilot's license there is the "4 Phase" which is pre-operational training.

Here in Lecce the "2 Phase" on the MB339-A is made. Then, only the pilots for the aerotactic line (or "fighter fighters" as they are defined in everyday language) will remain to continue with the "3 Phase" on the MB339-CD aircraft and the subsequent "4 Phase". This last phase, made on T346 instead of the 339-CD, is practically debut at today's date.

The pilots for the other operational components, after the "2 Phase" will leave Lecce and will reach other training sites (i Pilots destined to the helicopters line will go to Frosinone, those destined to the transport line at Pratica di Mare, those destined for aircraft piloted remotely to Amendola) and there they will qualify military pilots.

For the "non-professionals", the difference between "pilot" and "military pilot" is highlighted by the well-known "golden fish" on the chest that has always distinguished the aviators. When flying becomes a natural activity comparable to walking or breathing, it means to have reached the end of the "2 Phase". It will follow the learning of the use of the most disparate weapons and in every operational scenario in which the aircraft will be able to find itself for operational needs. Once this third Phase is over, the turreted crown will be placed at the gold plane of the airplane pilot, "consecrating" it military pilot.

Still speaking of symbols, in the previous coat of arms of the 61 ° Stormo, the institutional task of this department was magnificently synthesized by a penguin (bird that can not fly) looking at an arch to shoot an arrow upward. In the current one, the penguin has given way to an eagle in a more threatening attitude, just as the white color has given way to an intense red that in Italy leads to many meanings, all united by the call to force. On the other hand in recent years we have witnessed a changed need and amount of use of fighter bombers in the front line departments, to such an extent that even the decorations for the war actions on the uniforms of the officers returning from the most disparate operational missions are surprisingly returning to a symbolism of other times.

The col. Tarantino adds that it is desirable that the current use of 3 types of machines will fall to 2, and this will be completed with the introduction of Finmeccanica-Aermacchi T345, which will be used both for the "2 and 3" phases of the Pilots for the component aerotattica. His wish does not want to show dissatisfaction with the "339" (picture on the right) of which he has no words of appreciation (and he "339" really knows, having squeezed for good in Frecce Tricolori, which was also commander), but it is the conscious acceptance of the fact that 40 technology years ago makes it difficult to provide logistical support.

On this last point I sketch a grimace of perplexities, because the T345 is ultimately a SIAI S211 "modernized by passing through the M311", that is a peer of the MB-339 (except for the turbofan engine and the avionics): in my mind I thought that we could conceive a further update of the 339, as already happened in the past for F104, which in Italy from "104-G" have become "104-S", then "F104-ASA" and in the end "F104-ASAM", also because in spite of the age of its project, the production of the S211 has certainly never reached the level of industrialization and diffusion of the MB-339. But I have yet to see many things here in Galatina, and who knows if at the end of the visit he will have convinced me. Above all I would not want there to be some unquestionable political decision, historical national specialty, in front of which it is always prudent to change the subject.

At this point we return to the actual situation and we focus on what changes introducing the 346 instead of the 339-CD.

The new machine offers the possibility to develop a much higher number of missions: with the 346 you can do radar activities, using active missiles, you can release precision ammunition (both laser-guided and GPS-guided), it has all the connected capabilities with the use of "data link" of the "targeting pod". It has vocal flight controls and "Fly by Wire" that prevent the aircraft from stumbling into aerodynamically uncontrollable structures, has the unique possibility of simulating the behavior and reactions of different aircraft in real flight and has a power that in certain configurations of weight guarantees a thrust / weight ratio equal to 1: 1 (and with an engine off the same ratio is higher than that of 339). All things that the 339-CD does not allow. Of the 339 remains the "family feeling" of Italian training airplanes, that is the capacity of the airplane to transmit to the pilot continuous physical sensations, which transform sensory sensations into the instrumental information of the flight parameters, even with eyes closed. And this is not a "fly by wire" airplane thing: it is characteristic of Italian trainers who have always been able to prove themselves different and superior than any other competing foreign aircraft, regardless of whether the project was signed by Gabrielli, Bazzocchi or Frati and the manufacturer were FIAT, Aermacchi or SIAI Marchetti.

Expansion of training possibilities will benefit from the "Operation Conversion Unit" (OCU) of the AMX and Tornado, Eurofighter (and F35) aircraft, which contributed to the preparation of a "Syllabus" (ie manual of use, maneuvers and procedures) of the T346 homogenized with that of the OCUs themselves. All for the benefit of a conspicuous reduction in costs and a more rapid and effective insertion in the most expensive phases from all points of view.

It will also benefit the national cultural heritage (what no one considers) because until a short time ago for certain lines of prompt employment were Italian military pilots who had to be trained abroad, because there were no nearby training aircraft (for avionics technology) , weapon system, performance and "handling") to the fourth generation and subsequent bombers.

Certainly the introduction of new machines involves the review of some international agreements, but offers an exceptional opportunity to link to the Italian Air Force and to our industry important nations from the economic, political and military point of view that choose to provide Italian training because it is a mature product and has reached the highest levels worldwide.

In the 70 years of life and experience that the 61 ° Stormo will celebrate next year it has been able to exploit the foreign experiences gained by the Italian instructors, importing the best of the training methodology seen elsewhere that revised allowed to develop a methodological know-how in line with current and future times.

And this happens at a particularly favorable time, that is when all the training aircraft currently in use in Western countries (AlphaJet, SAAB 105, CASA 101, BaeHawk, NorthropT-38 and MB339) are close to leaving the scene.

An incredible opportunity for engineering and national industry, not only for what will be the spread of T346, but also for other projects developed in less difficult historical periods, economically speaking, and ready to use (such as the "fished" "C22-J, today T344, and T345) both" put in the freezer "for over 30 years. A very favorable "astral conjuncture", to be grasped. And it's virtually all ready (until I see the details of the rebirth of the C22-J in the form of T344 I do not remove the word "virtually").

The transformation mechanism has already started, with the "passing of deliveries" between the MB 339-CD and the 346.

The last "4 Phase" on 339-CD will not have to start after 2016 in December and any such activity will have to be completed in 2017. In the meantime the whole T346 fleet will be complete, as well as the relative instructors. The 339-CD MB removed from the "4 Phase" will become available to be relocated in "3 Phase" to lighten the load of use of this type of aircraft, until the arrival, always in the 2017, of the T345.

In this climate of all-round transformations, even our interview with col. Tarantino transforms himself, without ever crossing into informality, in a quasi-talk from Pilot to pilot, and the commander answers my questions telling me, in short, that the 346 is an airplane as easy as the 339, but of a class far superior and with enthusiastically higher performance and operational envelope. And even before getting on both airplanes you immediately realize what it meant.

In this visit I would have liked to try the simulator to taste the behavior of the airplane, but it was possible to try only the 339-CD. To be honest, it would not even make sense to try the 346 simulator, because even for a taste of this type you first have to study a lot and specifically the aircraft. It is in fact an airplane with HOTAS commands (Hands On Throttle and Stick), that is with 17 switches mounted on cloche and throttle to manage the main controls, but there are well 5 different configurations of these commands for each of the modes set on the instrumentation. It is impossible even to think of doing anything without considerable preventive training. For the 339-CD it is different. Conventional in the 80 pilot standard of the years, very precise and intuitive, you could pilot it with the power of thought, if it were not that on the real airplane you would feel all the accelerations that would derive from it. And, here in Galatina, where although recognizing the importance of the simulator as an educational tool, the airplane is always at the center of attention, to allow students to be physically up to this kind of solicitations are also restructuring the sports facilities interior.

The simulator, for the MB-339, serves more than anything else, to familiarize with the airplane's dashboard and with the reference points of the Salento airspace, to be able to immediately identify the various areas of work where the flights will be carried out.

For a complex machine like "346", on the other hand, you need an extremely sophisticated training system. The GBTS building was therefore built from scratch, a real gem developed with the collaboration of the Hermès and the EWC, as far as their respective competence is concerned.

It is a training infrastructure based on a multimedia area to support theoretical training and 4 increasing levels of simulation, which differ in the increasing via-likeness with the airplane.

It starts from an extremely low level of computer science, comparable to domestic computers equipped with control devices similar to those of the airplane, up to the most advanced military simulator. In this way the theoretical study is consolidated with the practice and execution of the maneuvers, so that in the end it can be said that learning takes place all in the simulator and the airplane serves "only" to put into practice what has already been learned on the ground .

That said, it may seem that all this system is used only to make economies, but it is not like that: a very complicated computer system, allows you to exploit all the potential of the structure on the ground, the airplane and the "data link" that connects them. The cost of the investment was not reduced, but it was moved to another kind of equipment.

You can plan a mission, try it on the simulator and then "pour it" on the airplane, as well as from the ground you can generate simulated failures on aircrafts in flight or generate enemy radar tracks to be engaged and much more. Similarly you can see in real time what is happening on airplanes in flight (or "download" after landing all the registration of the mission accomplished). You can view the recorded video and audio recordings, the flight parameters and recreate them in parallel in "virtual reality" and in real time to analyze or comment them in the debriefing, possibly revising them, on the simulator, exactly in the way they were manifested in flight. A truly incredible training effectiveness potential.

Leaving the GBTB building, and after having touched everything we have described here, the perplexities about the replacement of MB339 for the "2 and 3 phases" of the training have also disappeared.

With such a system and training method, and with a "spearhead" like the M346 and its supporting infrastructure, a resource like MB339, however marvelous, would become a very expensive medium that takes away resources from others. areas, since its new role can really be played by another less onerous means. A little 'how is going to happen in the civil aeronautical environment, where full-motion simulators of the price range from 10.000.000 to 30.000.000 € will soon be supplanted by 500.000-2.000.000 simulators of €. Technological evolution allows this.

Perhaps for the maintenance staff the simplified architecture of the T345, with the single piece passing wing and the non-divisible fuselage may be less appreciated, but above all as a "2 Stage" trainer can do his job well and also anticipate and share some of the T346 avionics and instrumental solutions.

Speaking of technical support, the 10 ° Aircraft Maintenance Department hosted in the same airport of Galatina and offering its service to all the Departments of the Air Force equipped with MB-339, is already proving to know how to adapt and support in the best way the 61 ° Stormo, even during the generational change that we are describing here and that invests this department too.

The commander of the 61 ° Stormo wants to clarify that this department belongs to a different "hierarchical chain" (that of the Logistic Command, instead of General Command of the Schools) and therefore it is not of its jurisdiction, but highlights the commendable result of allowing installments of use of airplanes that the aircraft have never seen in 40 years of activity and the same number of hours of flight 10 years ago, when in flight line there were 20 more cars, and much more "fresh".

The commendation becomes even greater when, in order to cope with the problem of staff reduction, the staff has an average age considerably greater than what can be expected from those who, under the heat wave, must maintain an aircraft just landed with a hot engine.

To give them some relief the recent realization of 12 structures "sun-shelters" for the flight line of MB-339, of the tensostructures similar to small field hangars that as their name says are used to protect the aircraft from the sun. stop at the edge of the track. It may seem like a minority investment, but regardless of the fact that the financial defense defense does not allow the superfluous, being able to operate on this territory and with the rhythms that we said, is certainly an infrastructure investment that changes the lives of those working there .

All this is "Galatina V4.0". What is missing ?

Well, a nice "gate guardian" in front of the entrance gate, and I would suggest the 2 ° MB-339 prototype (MM 589 / I-MABX) lying in shameful conditions to say the least on a pedestal on the edge of a parking lot, a few tens of kilometers (in Salve).

(in the picture i aircraft had in force in the history of the 61 ° in "Legend" formation in the ceremony of the change of the coat of arms. Among these civilian aircraft, such as the FIAT G59 of the com.te Pino Valenti and the Catellani 326 by Renzo Catellani)