Pilots of civil aviation, leisure and sports aviation, enthusiasts of the air surfaces and flight fields of the Territory, and students of the island’s aeronautical institutes participated in the seminar on Saturday 22 September, at the Sigonella Airport, home of the 41st Anti-Submarine Squadron, a seminar on Flight Safety organized by the Italian Air Force (AM) in collaboration with the Aero Club d’Italia (AeCI).
In compliance with the current AM/AeCI Memorandum of Understanding, Sigonella hosted the meeting to discuss procedures and safety standards for flight operations at the main national military airports.
The meeting saw the participation of approximately 250 participants, including civil and military aviation pilots, recreational and sports aviation (VDS) practitioners, enthusiasts who carry out their activities at the airfields and flight training areas of the Sicily/Calabria regions, as well as students accompanied by professors from the Aeronautical Institutes (or in the same field of study) of the “Ferrarin” in Catania, the “Besta” in Ragusa, the “Majorana” in Gela (CL) and the “Majorana” in Milazzo (ME).
The seminar’s proceedings began with a welcome to all the guests from the Commander of the 41st Air Wing and the Sicilian airport, Colonel Francesco Frare, who introduced the various speakers. Among them were the Head of the Flight Safety Inspectorate (ISV) of the AM – Brigadier General Maurizio Agrusti, the President of the National Flight Safety Agency (ANSV) – Prof. Bruno Franchi, the Director of the Italian Aeroclub – General in retirement Giuseppe D’Accolti, the President of the SV AeCI Commission – Prof. Michele Buonsanti and others from the AM (local and ISV).
A series of interventions and informative briefings that, in addition to the human element as one of the possible causes of a flight accident, aimed to raise awareness among the various airspace users about the knowledge and promotion of the culture of Flight Safety, which is fundamental to the prevention action.
Furthermore, the seminar allowed for the knowledge and exchange of views with the various entities operating within the complex airspace of eastern Sicily, which includes two civilian airports (Catania-Fontanarossa and Comiso) to which the military airport of Sigonella provides AM personnel for air traffic services, from where not only the P-72A aircraft of the 41st Flight Wing and the remote-piloted aircraft of the 61st Flight Group operate but also other international entities.
To conclude the seminar, the Inspector of Aviation for the Navy, Brigadier General Amedeo Magnani, who, in thanking those present, said: “Today is a beautiful day for all the Aviators who fly over the Sicilian skies and I am very happy to host the Flight Safety Seminar at Sigonella, the headquarters of the 41st Flight Wing, in collaboration with the Aero Club d’Italia. I strongly believe that dialogue and mutual knowledge can truly be tools and key elements for improving flight safety and that they can contribute to saving many human lives.”.
The event has generated considerable interest among the participants, especially among young students, the future operators of aircraft.
The day concluded with a visit to the airport’s infrastructure and the flight line to admire the more than 50 ultralights (there hadn’t been that many at Sigonella since 2006), which had arrived in the morning, and the P-72A aircraft, displayed statically right in the center of the airfield.
