The aircraft of the École de l’Air take off from the Pontine countryside. The activity, which is part of the bilateral agreements on cooperation between the two nations in the field of Defense, brought Alpine pilots from the École de l’Air, the flight training school based in Salon-de-Provence in the south of France, to the Pontine airport. The French crews, led by Lieutenant Colonel Stephan Visentin, were welcomed by Major Pilot Paolo Cicalini, Commander of the 207th Flight Group of the “Graziani”.
The intense flight program involved the Italian air line, based on the Aermacchi SF-260EA aircraft, and the small French single-engine TB.10 Tobago aircraft, alternating joint missions with mixed formations using crews from both nations. The training activity allowed the flight instructors of the 70th Stormo to exchange valuable experience and knowledge of procedures with their French colleagues, who, among other things, showed particular interest in the technical characteristics of the SF-260EA aircraft in the unit’s possession.
