On Tuesday 28 November, the changeover ceremony in command of the "Frecce Tricolori" took place in the hangar of the 313th aerobatic training group National Acrobatic Patrol, between Lieutenant Colonel Stefano Vit, outgoing commander, and Lieutenant Colonel Massimiliano Salvatore, incoming commander.
The ceremony, presided over by Air Division General Luigi Del Bene, commander of the combat forces, was attended by the highest military and civil authorities of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region.
As per tradition, the ceremony on the ground was preceded by the symbolic handover in flight; an event, this, which occurs only on the occasion of the change of command and which therefore represents a rarity in the aerobatic program of the Frecce Tricolori.
The two pilots, together with the rest of the formation, carried out a series of evolutions until reaching the moment in which Lieutenant Colonel Vit separated from the formation, leaving the wingmen under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Salvatore, new commander of the National Acrobatic Patrol.
In the words of his farewell speech, t.col. Vit has condensed the emotion of the many years spent in the ranks of National Acrobatic Patrol, started in 2012 as a wingman, then as training leader and finally, from 2021, as commander.
Thanking the men and women of the Frecce Tricolori for the work done alongside him and his family for their daily support, t.col. Vit wanted to underline the importance of the mission assigned to the 313th group, underlining how it actually constitutes “the business card of an Italy that, working in synergy, is able to achieve results admired by the whole world”.
In assuming command the t.col. Salvatore, 25th commander of the Frecce Tricolori, insisted on the concepts of "trust and tradition", defining them as the beacon that he will place to guide his command action.
In his final speech, Air Division General Luigi Del Bene underlined how the Frecce Tricolori, thanks to a formidable team effort, have brought their precious contribution to an extraordinary year like that of the centenary of the Air Force.
The ceremony was an opportunity to read the collective solemn commendation paid by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Force General Luca Goretti to the 313th aerobatic training group.
The 313th aerobatic training group, this is the official name of the Frecce Tricolori, is a flight department of the Air Force made up of approximately 100 soldiers, who are entrusted with the task of representing the capabilities of the entire Armed Forces.
Since 1 March 1961, the date of its establishment on the Rivolto Air Base (UD), the National Acrobatic Patrol, which recently concluded its 63rd season, has the honor of representing, with its spectacular aerial acrobatics, the over 40.000 men and women of the Air Force and the values they carry forward every day: cohesion, team spirit, professionalism, dedication and sacrifice. This makes it a symbol of our Armed Forces and of Italy in the world.
