On a day filled with emotion and national pride, Thursday 1st May 2025, the highly anticipated final aerobatic training flight of the Frecce Tricolori for 2025, the National Aerobatic Team of the Italian Air Force, took place at the Rivolto Air Base (UD), the historic home of the 2nd Wing and the 313th Aerobatic Training Group. The event officially marked the start of the 2025 aerobatic season and, as is tradition, saw the enthusiastic participation of the 137 Frecce Tricolori Clubs from all corners of the country.
Making the day even more significant was the presence of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Force General Luca Goretti, who presided over the event and addressed words of sincere appreciation and solidarity to the Clubs and the many enthusiasts present.
In his speech, Air Force Corps General Goretti wished to highlight the profound bond that unites the Frecce Tricolori aerobatic team and the public, as well as the Clubs that support them with unreserved passion:
“The fact that you, with such enthusiasm and participation, consider this Group a national excellence does you credit. It is an honour to be Italian and it is our duty to remember it, to tell it, to share it. Your concrete and continuous support enables the men and women of the Air Force to carry out their duties every day, with dedication and a spirit of service. They do it for you.”
The presence of approximately 10,000 enthusiasts, who came from all regions of Italy, represented an extraordinary demonstration of affection, participation, and closeness towards the Frecce Tricolori, clearly testifying how deeply this annual event is felt and rooted in the heart of the public. An event that, year after year, continues to attract thousands of people united by the same passion for flight, for acrobatic precision, and for the values that the National Acrobatic Patrol embodies.
Fundamental, as always, was the contribution of the 2nd Wing personnel, who managed every organisational phase of the event with precision and efficiency, whilst guaranteeing the highest level of safety for the public and for those involved.
Also present at the event was the President of the Bambino Gesù Paediatric Hospital in Rome, Prof. Tiziano Onesti, to underline the important and consolidated partnership with the Air Force, a commitment that in this 2025 is renewed with the solidarity project “A gift from the sky for the Bambino Gesù”, a charitable initiative that, thanks to voluntary donations from Air Force personnel, private individuals and associations, will raise funds for the purchase of equipment and health technologies for the Roman paediatric hospital. The Frecce Tricolori's 2025 aerobatic season, which officially kicks off today, is a fundamental part of the project, as each stage scheduled throughout the country will be associated with a series of activities by the Armed Forces aimed at encouraging fundraising among the public and promoting and reaffirming the common values around which the historic collaboration between the two institutions is based, which also stems from the vocation of teamwork in the many medical aid missions that see the Armed Forces' crews and the doctors and health workers of the Children's Hospital working together on a daily basis.
One of two significant charitable initiatives, highlighting the generosity of the Frecce Tricolori Clubs, was dedicated to the young patients of the Bambino Gesù Paediatric Hospital in Rome. A second donation from them was organised in support of the association “Il Paese di Lilliputh”, a local Udine organisation committed to assisting children and families in need. The leaders of the National Transplant Centre were also present on the day; this organisation is the protagonist of a further initiative that will be promoted during the next Frecce Tricolori Aerobatic Season.
With this final training flight, the Frecce Tricolori are now preparing to grace the skies of Italy and the world, with three international stops: Murcia (Spain), Fairford (United Kingdom), and Sanicole (Belgium). The 2025 aerobatic season has officially begun: a new chapter in the extraordinary history of the aerobatic team is ready to be written.
