On Friday 21st April, after 4 days of intense flight activity, the motorized flight familiarization course ended for the 29 students of the course Taurus, in the second year of the “G. Douhet” in Florence.
The activity - preceded by some theoretical lessons - saw each student carry out a flight of about 45 minutes alongside instructor pilots of the 60th wing of Guidonia aboard Siai U.208/M motor aircraft.
This activity represents the second phase of the "Young Eagles" project, a three-year program included in the School's Training Offer Plan which aims to increase and consolidate the passion for flying and aeronautical culture in the young students of the Institute and to in their ability to plan and manage psycho-physical stress.
The first phase of "Young Eagles" includes a glider flight course held at the gliding team of the 60th wing of Guidonia, while the third phase of the project consists of a series of motivational flights - in one or more wings of the Italian Air Force - intended for the students of the last year of the Institute. Furthermore, for the most deserving students – still in the third year – a series of motivational flights are planned on board the MB339PAN aircraft of the National Aerobatic Team or, as happened this year, on the AMX-T aircraft of the 51st wing.
The event was attended by the air brigade general Urbano Floreani, commander of the Institute of Aeronautical Military Sciences of Florence, who in addition to having highlighted the educational value that this project has for the students, recalled how this initiative is only one of the numerous events with which the Air Force - in the year of its centenary - intends to open up to the wonderful city of Florence.
Colonel Massimiliano Macioce, commander of the Douhet, was also present to observe the flights of the students, who reiterated the educational importance of the day: “Among the objectives of our School, being an Air Force high school, there is also that of offering our students the opportunity to try their hand at experiences like this and allowing them to cultivate a passion for flying. In this sense, the motorized flight familiarization activity, as well as the other phases of the Young Eagles project, fully express the purely aeronautical connotation of our Institute".
The "Giulio Douhet" Military Aeronautical School, inaugurated in 2006, is a secondary school which carries out the courses of the last three years in the classical and scientific fields, which can be accessed by public competition. The purpose of the Institute is to encourage a balanced growth of the students under the human, cultural, moral, physical and character profile so that they have the necessary skills to become good citizens and face the challenges of tomorrow, regardless of the future life choices of each student.
