Yesterday, in the evocative setting of Piazza Dante Alighieri in Galatina, the solemn ceremony was held which saw the delivery of military pilot licenses to fifty-one attendees, coming from the Flight Schools of the Air Force (61st Wing of Galatina, the 72nd ° Frosinone Wing and the Pratica di Mare Air Transport Training School).
The celebratory event was organized by the Schools Command of the AM/3rd Air Region of Bari, in collaboration with the municipal administration of Galatina and saw the warm participation of the citizens and the families of the new military pilots.
The ceremony, presided over by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General of the Air Force Luca Goretti, also saw the participation of the Commander of the Schools of the Air Force/3rd Air Region, General of the Air Force Silvano Frigerio, of the Commanders of the three flight schools of the AM, of the Mayor of Galatina Dr. Fabio Vergine and of numerous civil and military territorial authorities.
The origin of the fifty-one patents confirms the joint and international vocation of the Air Force Flight Schools. In fact, among them, in addition to the thirty-seven of the Blue Army, four belong to the Air Force of the Republic of Singapore, two to the Hellenic Air Force of Greece, three to the Carabinieri, two to the State Police and three to the Vigili Corps of fire.
During the ceremony, the “Gold Medal of Aeronautical Merit” granted by the Ministry of Defense to the 61st Wing was awarded: a prestigious recognition that celebrates the fundamental role of the Salento flight school in advanced and multinational flight training. Furthermore, alongside the event, during a short ceremony at the municipal house, the city of Galatina was officially named “City of the 61st Wing of the Air Force” as evidence of the strong bond between the territory and the Blue Army.
In this regard, Colonel Vito Conserva, Commander of the 61st Wing, underlined: “…It is a true honor for the Wing – which I have the privilege of directing – to receive this double recognition. The medal highlights the prominent role played by the Wing as an advanced, multinational and modern training reality in the field of flight personnel training, capable of enhancing the cutting-edge technological systems with which it is equipped, among other things produced by the national industry. Furthermore, the naming of the city of Galatina after the Stormo – which fills us with pride – highlights the synergistic relationship between the aeronautical reality and the territory that has hosted it for over 90 years…”.
Derogating from the protocol practice of the solemn ceremony, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Squadron General Luca Goretti began his speech thus“…The inconsolable sadness hovers over the loss of two of our men, which occurred only yesterday due to an tragic car accident that occurred in Grosseto: Lieutenant Riccardo Latino, son of the Salento area and the first marshal Francesco Antonio Guglielmucci. To them and to the wounded, we dedicate a sad thought and the strong embrace of the entire Armed Forces. To their families and dearest loved ones I say that you will not be alone in your pain…” and continuing he remarked: “…The newly certified present here are precisely the concrete proof of how the experience of the Air Force, now based on over one hundred years of operations, is an essential reference for all those who make flying their profession. but these guys are also the concrete testimony of our desire to act with the passion, respect and generosity as always for the good of our beloved country…”. And addressing the new military pilots: “…You are the pilots of the new millennium and the second century of life of the Air Force and by virtue of this you bring with you all the best of past experiences but also the indomitable spirit of challenge that characterized those who preceded us. It is up to you to maintain and increase these qualities in the future to achieve those increasingly challenging and arduous goals, but precisely for this reason full of greater responsibility and satisfaction”.
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The 61st Wing, already recognized internationally in the military flight training sector, is structured to provide high-performance preparation suited to the training of pilots destined for aerotactic lines. Specifically, the Salento Flight School, of the four phases that make up the complete training path of a pilot (the first phase – flight selection – takes place at the 70th Wing of Latina), provides the training of the second phase (Primary Pilot Training – common to all military pilot students and aimed at identifying the lines on which they will fly), of the third phase (Specialized Pilot Training – aimed exclusively at student pilots selected for the “Fighter” lines) and of the fourth and final phase – “Lead In Fighter Training (LIFT)” -, preparatory to subsequent employment on the latest generation fighter aircraft, through the 212th Gruppo Volo/IFTS employee seconded to the Decimomannu headquarters.
