The ceremony for the delivery of patents to the students of the Air Force flight schools was held on the morning of Wednesday 23 March at the Galatina air base.
Twenty-three new pilots have completed a complex and highly selective training course held at the 61st flock of Galatina, the 72nd flock of Frosinone and the multiCrew crew training center of Pratica di Mare. In addition to thirteen new pilots from the Italian Air Force, four soldiers from the Carabinieri, one from the Harbor Master's Office and two Fire Brigades, to achieve this prestigious goal. In addition, a pilot from the Royal Saudi Air Force, the Air Force of Saudi Arabia, and two from the Republic of Singapore Air Force, the Air Force, were also "graduated" to testify the recognized value of the Italian training sector in the international arena. of the city-state of Southeast Asia.
The event, which took place in strict compliance with the restrictions imposed by the current health emergency, was chaired by the air squad general Silvano Frigerio, commander of the Air Force Schools / 3rd Bari air region from which the three flight departments depend on, and has seen the participation, in addition to the civil and military authorities, of some representatives of the Saudi and Singaporean air forces.
Also present for the occasion were the relatives of the students, who arrived in Salento, to celebrate a moment that, from a long aeronautical tradition, represents one of the most important milestones in the life of a pilot.
Colonel Filippo Nannelli commander of the 61st flock, in welcoming those present, urged the young pilots: “You wear different uniforms, but you have one thing that unites you: the choice to put the passion for flying at the service of your nation. Continue to cultivate this passion! Do not spare energy to put yourself at the service of your country and your people, always remember that your successes will be those of those who believed in you ".
To deliver the coveted "Eagles", in addition to the commander of the Schools and the respective commanders of the three training departments, also the air squad general Giovanni Fantuzzi, godfather of the course Turbines III and Colonel Fabio De Michele, godfather of the course Turbines IV, testifying to the strong and indissoluble bond that unites the different generations of aviators.
"These patents mean professionalism, responsibility, courage, altruism, being ready to give your all to reach the assigned goal and, if necessary, pushing yourself to the limit of your possibilities to get to where others fear failing"General Frigerio underlined during his speech, continuing: "The presence of foreign personnel and other Armed Forces and Armed Corps of the State is a clear indicator of the goodness of our training system, one of the most advanced in the world and which today involves three departments of the Air Force: the 61st and the 72nd flock and the multiCrew crew training center ".
The 61 ° flock of Galatina (LE), a flight school with a long tradition, provides training and training for the student pilots on jet aircraft. Today it is in fact an international reality that hosts pilots and instructors from all over the globe: an excellence therefore at the service of the country, which offers an integrated training system among the most advanced in the world.
