It took place on Thursday 26 October 2023, at students' room of the Pozzuoli Air Force Academy, the individual swearing-in ceremony of 15 additional pilot sergeants, belonging to the 129th AUPC course.
The new sergeants swore loyalty to the Italian Republic individually, in front of the Flag of the Institute, in the presence of the commander of the Air Force Academy, general of the air division Luigi Casali.
The ceremony was attended by the family members of the young jurands and a representation of the permanent cadre. General Casali, after thanking the guests and family members who attended, underlined the importance of the solemn commitment made today: “An oath that commits us to respect a series of new duties that characterize the status of military and which must inspire and guide our daily work which will lead us to face new challenges in the service of our country in complex international scenarios that always see us more challenging outside national borders".
At the conclusion of his speech: “Gentlemen, the path you are about to face will give you unparalleled emotions: you have demonstrated that you have all the characteristics and abilities necessary to become military pilots and make your passion your profession and it is a privilege reserved for a few”.
The 129th AUPC course was incorporated into the Armed Forces last March 29th at the Air Force Academy and having completed its initial activities, it continued its training process at the 70th wing of Latina where the pilots obtained the BPA (Certificate of Airplane Pilot) on the SF.260EA aircraft.
The training process of the course is made up of two phases, the first, defined as the "military" phase and carried out by all those attending, has the aim of providing basic military preparation, providing transversal subjects such as command tasks and functions, organization of the Defense and AM, military logistics, communication techniques. The second phase, called "professional", is aimed at imparting to those attending the theoretical-practical knowledge preparatory to the acquisition of the patent military pilot.
As per tradition, the new AUPC course has been assigned a name, the initial of which is agreed with the youngest regular course, the Dragon VI: “Dagger”, while “Frangar, non Flectar” has been chosen as the motto, in analogy to the 14th AUFP course with which they share part of the training process.
The Air Force Academy depends on the command of the Air Force Schools/3rd Air Region. It is a military institute of higher education of a university nature which has the task of providing for the recruitment and training of young people who aspire to become officers of the Air Force.
By attending the regular courses of the Academy you can become a second lieutenant in permanent active service of the Air Force, in the normal role of navigators (pilots) and in the normal role of the Arms, of the aeronautical engineers, of the aeronautical commissary corps and of the aeronautical medical corps. Courses are also held at the Institute for officer students (pilots and navigators of complement and fixed station) and directly appointed second lieutenants (both of the normal role and of the special role); finally, in the Academy's study plan, courses with a specialist aeronautical connotation are foreseen, for foreign personnel and other Armed Forces.
