Two months after the similar ceremony held in Lecce in Piazza Duomo in the presence of the President of the Republic, the 61st wing of Lecce patents another thirteen student pilots: five lieutenants of the Italian Air Force, two Austrian officers, four Greeks and two of the Saudi Arabian Air Force.
The event took place on the morning of Friday 2 December at the Galatina air base, and saw the presence, alongside the local authorities and a representation of the airport staff, also of the families of the students who had arrived in Puglia to celebrate a moment which, from a long aeronautical tradition, represents one of the most important goals in the life of a pilot.
The Salento flight school is today an advanced, multinational and modern training reality, with over 75 years of experience and traditions in the "flight training" sector behind it; a training center therefore of absolute and recognized international value which has cutting-edge technological systems and which hosts students and instructors from every corner of the globe.
Colonel Vito Conserva, commander of the 61st wing and of the Galatina airport, during his speech, wanted to underline how the formal ceremony of delivery of the eagles is the best recognition of the work done by the men and women of the department, always at the It teaches teamwork, passion for the Arma Azzurra and daily commitment. After publicly thanking his staff, he then complimented the new young aviators, urging them to consider the prestigious achievement achieved, not as a point of arrival, but as the beginning of a fantastic new adventure in the service of the country and its own people.
Dependent on schools command AM/3rd air region of Bari, the 61st wing has the task of providing flight training on phase 2 jets - Primary Pilot Training, common to all military pilot students, aimed at identifying the lines on which they will fly (fighters, remote piloting, helicopters, transport); phase 3 - Specialized pilot training, aimed exclusively at student pilots selected for the "Fighter" lines, which ends with the achievement of the military pilot license (turrited eagle); and phase 4 – Lead In to Fighter Training – LIFT, preparatory to subsequent use on latest generation fighter aircraft. The training activity of the 61st wing is aimed at student pilots of the Italian Air Force, of the other Armed Forces and of the allied/partner countries, in all phases of flight according to the requests of each country.
