The new monument enriches the area dedicated to the fallen in the chapel of the Air Force Academy
The monument in memory of the Supplementary Pilot Officers who died in the line of duty has been inaugurated in the Chapel of the Air Force Academy. The artwork, created by two internationally renowned Campanian artists, stems from a joint project between the Italian Air Force and the National Association of Families of Fallen and Disabled Airmen (A.N.F.C.M.A.).
The ceremony took place in the presence of Commander of the Air Force Schools / 3rd Air Region, Air Squadron General Silvano Frigerio and the President of ANFCMA., Air Squad General (ret.) Tiziano Tosi.
Present, in addition to a delegation of permanent staff military personnel, were the supplementary pilot Sergeants of the 129th AUPC Course, regular course attendees and a number of serving supplementary pilot Officers.
After Holy Mass, The Commander of the Air Force Academy, Air Division General Luigi Casali he thanked General Frigerio and General Tosi for their authoritative presence and those who created the monument “[...] QThis work will enrich our church. It stems from a joint project between the Italian Air Force and the National Association of Families of Fallen and Disabled Airmen, and is dedicated to all the Supplementary Pilot Officers who sadly left us while carrying out their duty.
General Tosi then spoke: “A sincere and profound thank you to everyone who worked to make this work a reality. I cared very much that in this church, where the roots and memory of the fallen of the Aeronautical Academy lie, there should be…… a testimony and the roots of all those supplementary pilots who gave their lives flying for our Armed Force.
The concluding speech was given by General Frigerio“… Here in the church of the Air Force Academy, the memory of the departed converges with our Christianity. With the two plaques commemorating all the fallen aviators of the Regular Courses, today we are inaugurating the monument dedicated to the Supplementary Pilots who gave their lives as the ultimate sacrifice. As Commander of the Schools, I cannot help but be pleased that from today, as General Tosi suggested, when we walk through the corridors we can look at the names of the fallen and remember the ultimate sacrifice they made in service to the country.
The Air Force Academy war memorials commemorate all colleagues who lost their lives in the line of duty and who joined the Italian Air Force starting precisely from the training institute in Pozzuoli. Remembering all those who died in the line of duty is one of the core principles for the Italian Air Force. The names of all colleagues who lost their lives in the line of duty are engraved in the shrine of the Three Arches at Palazzo Aeronautica in Rome.
The ceremony continued with the reading of the Airman's Prayer, recited by a Temporary Sergeant Pilot, and ended with the unveiling of the monument, the blessing by the Military Chaplain, Don Fabio De Biase, and the laying of a laurel wreath.
The War Memorial is made up of three distinct parts (statue, pedestal and tiles), made of terracotta and finished with a non-homogeneous white high-fire glaze (around 1000 degrees) which allows the primary terracotta material to show through.
The statue is a single piece measuring approximately 215×145 cm, with a weight of around 400 kg, and depicts an angel with a human face representing the pilot. Its gaze directed towards the sky and its arms open in flight represent the transition between earthly and otherworldly life.
The reinforced pedestal, approximately 60 cm high, was designed to increase the stability of the monument and bears, in low relief, the phrase “A pilot never dies, they just fly higher”.
The individually hand-engraved tiles bearing the names of all 365 supplementary pilots who died between 1945 and 2023 were provided by the Historical Office of the Italian Air Force.
The’Air Force Academy It depends Air Force Schools Command/3rd Air Region. It is a higher military institute of university status which has the task of providing for recruitment and to training young people who aspire to become Officers of the Italian Air Force. By attending the Regular Courses of the Academy, one can become a Sub-Lieutenant in Permanent Active Service in the Air Force, within the Regular Navigating Branch (pilots) and the Regular Branches of the Weapons, Aeronautical Engineering, Aeronautical Commissariat and the Aeronautical Health Corps. The Institute also conducts courses for Officer Cadets (Complementary and Fixed-Term Pilots and Navigators) and direct-appointment Sub-Lieutenants (in both the Regular and Special Branches); finally, the Academy's curriculum includes courses with a specific aeronautical focus for foreign personnel and other Armed Forces.
