On the occasion of the anniversary of the North Atlantic aerial cruise of the 1933, the 31 ° Stormo of Ciampino, led by Colonel Dimitri Pasqualetti, celebrated the historical enterprise by setting up a philatelic, photographic and historical material of interest exhibition, in collaboration with the Association of Pioneers and the Association of Atlantic Transporters.
The anniversary commemorated the feat accomplished eighty-six years ago when, with 100 pilots and 25 S.55 X seaplanes, Italo Balbo made two Atlantic cruises: one from Orbetello to Chicago and the other back to Ostia. What was carried out was an ambitious project, complex both from a logistical and naval support point of view. The flight, made ten years after the first, saw 12 Savoia Marchetti fly from Orbetello to Brazil.
The memory of the courage, of the spirit of sacrifice and self-sacrifice of the men who were the protagonists of it, is still today a point of reference and inspiration in the commitment that the staff of the 31 ° Stormo profoundly daily in the performance of their tasks institutional, faithful to the motto "to renew the deeds".
Several events occurred during the day: the postal cancellation by the staff of the Italian Post Office in memory of the start of the expedition, the delivery of diplomas to the new pioneers by the President of the Pioneers Association, gen. Antonino Altorio, the presentation of the book by Fabrizio Chiaramonte entitled "Radio communications in the Decennial Air Cruise", the exhibition of works by Dr. Marcella Mencherini, the donation of historical material by Mrs. Paola Bellini Balbo to the general staff of the Air Force.
Also present at the event was the Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, aerial team general Alberto Rosso who, in the course of his speech, in addition to thanking everyone present for having contributed to the realization of the celebrations, stressed the importance of guaranteeing continuity between past and present.
