In February, paratroopers from the 57th Rescue Squadron of the US Air Force conducted freefall training by launching themselves from an altitude of 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) from C-130 aircraft from the Ramstein Air Base. The training, authorized and conducted in accordance with the prescribed procedures, is part of the familiarization activity that the USAF personnel of the 56th and 57th RQS are carrying out at Aviano Air Base this period in preparation for their final transfer from the British Base of Lakenheath scheduled for June. This activity allows the military personnel to maintain high standards of training, an essential condition for the search and rescue mission in operational areas that they must carry out as Combat Search and Rescue Units. This was a historic event, made possible thanks to the joint work between the personnel of the Aviano Air Base Command and the 31st Fighter Wing. The activation of the launch zone at Aviano will ensure that personnel of the 57th RQS can train regularly and be always operationally ready. The last launch at Aviano dates back to 1996, when the ”Blue Falcons”, the demonstration team of acrobatic parachute jumping of the Italian Air Force, thrilled the spectators during the ”Birds on Aviano” air show.
The Aviano Airport has the mission of ensuring national sovereignty and overseeing the implementation of bilateral agreements regarding the presence of USAF units deployed at the airport, supervising the flight and operational activities of the USAF units deployed at the airport, and ensuring the defense of the Base.
