"Pinna", the Italian "exchange" pilot in command of a formation of USAF A-10C

(To air Force)
23/02/18

The captain Roberto Manzo, nicknamed "Pinna", is the head of a formation of A-10 Thunderbolt II of the United States Air Force (USAF) of the 74th Fighter Squadron.

"Pinna" in 2015 entered the "Military Personnel Exchange Program", a program that allows the interaction of the air forces of the whole world through the exchange of some of the most experienced pilots of different nationalities.

"When the commander invited me to his office to ask if I wanted to be an Exchange Pilot and fly an A-10 I almost cried."recalls Pinna in an interview with Airman Magazine, the official magazine of the United States Air Force (more).

The USAF, through the "Exchange" program, offers the possibility of exchanging foreign pilots from 30 different countries, but only one of these is chosen to fly on A-10C aircraft. Three years ago it was the cap. Manzo, thanks also to the previous operational experience gained with the AMX line, to be selected as the most suitable foreign pilot to operate with the Warthog.

The mutual study of factors such as the ability to communicate, operate, support and train is the basis of the "Military Personnel Exchange Program". This is confirmed by "Pinna", the pseudonym used by Cap. Manzo and clearly visible on the helmet that accompanies it every day in flight.

Arrived in Arizona at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, chap. Manzo attended all the courses scheduled on the A-10C aircraft. Here he acquired the qualification of combat ready attending the TX-1 course, reserved for pilots ready for combat on other fighter aircraft. Currently "Pinna", who will finish his term in the United States in about two years, is also qualified as a "Couple Leader" in a formation of two aircraft, "Training Leader" in multiple formations and "Sandy 4", or the compound formation by four aircraft on missions Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR).

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