On Friday, March 26, the Pilots of the Flying Wind Center greeted the young aquilans who have flown with the Air Force. This initiative, promoted by the Air Force General Staff in agreement with the Ministry of Education, University and Research, and carried out by the Flying Wind Center A.M. of Guidonia (Rome), is aimed at promoting aeronautical culture among the country’s youth, through a series of theoretical and practical lessons on the use of the aircraft.
The course, which began on Monday 15 March, was attended by 230 young people from the city of L’Aquila, aged between 16 and 20 years old, who, in the first few days, followed a series of lessons on the principles of aeronautics, propulsion, flight maneuvers, flight safety and flight instruments, for a total of about 10 hours. At the end of the theoretical phase, the participants took a written test (multiple-choice quiz) on the topics covered in the lessons. From 22 March, the young people who passed the test and achieved a sufficient score have arrived at the Airport of Preturo to practically experience the acquired knowledge, with flights on S 208/M aircraft in the Abruzzo sky, alongside Instructor Pilots from the Flying Centre for Sailplanes. Over three days, the Flying Centre for Sailplanes carried out 75 sorties, equivalent to over 30 hours of flight.
On Tuesday, March 23, at Preturo Airport, the initiative was presented to the local civil and military authorities as well as to the media. On this occasion, the guests were able to make a flight alongside the pilots of the A.M. Wind Flight Center.
At the closing ceremony, the first-place winners of the course were awarded prizes, while all the participating students were issued a certificate of attendance that can lead to credits and merit points in certain competitions for recruitment into the Air Force.
Lieutenant Fabrizio Grillo, Head of the Sailing Centre at A.M., thanks the airport authorities and the citizens who, with their active and irreplaceable collaboration, made the course a success. In particular, he praises the young participants, the real protagonists of the initiative, who stood out for their passion and interest in the activities carried out. The initiative concluded was the first of the three planned for 2010; in fact, on Monday 12 April the Aeronautics Culture Course for students in the city of Ferrara will begin, which will conclude on Thursday 22 of the same month.
