In addition to officers of the Italian Air Force, a contingent of foreign cadets and personnel from other Armed Forces, Armed Corps, and State organisations will receive their flight brevets.

With a ceremony held this afternoon in the centre of Galatina, in the province of Lecce, pilot wings were awarded to 49 attendees who, after approximately a year of training, have completed their pilot course at the Italian Air Force Flying Schools of the 61st Wing, based in the Salento town, the 72nd Wing of Frosinone, and the MultiCrew Training Centre of Pratica di Mare.

Among those awarded their wings, twenty-six are Officers of the Air Force, who, along with two attendees from the Hellenic Air Force and one from the Royal Saudi Air Force, received their military pilot wings. Meanwhile, seven attendees from the Army, four from the Carabinieri, five from the Financial Police, two from the State Police, and two from the National Fire Corps have achieved their helicopter pilot wings.

The ceremony, organised by the A.M. Schools Command / 3rd Air Region of Bari (which oversees the three flying units) in collaboration with the Municipal Administration of Galatina, was attended by the Minister of Defence, Guido Crosetto, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Force General Luca Goretti, regional and local authorities, the families of the young pilots who received their wings, along with many citizens from the Salento town who crowded Piazza Dante Alighieri for the occasion.

Following the welcome address from the Mayor of Galatina, Fabio Vergine, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Force General Luca Goretti, took the floor. He stressed the importance of the “spirit of sharing and collaboration between institutions, which sees the Air Force, an organisation now over a century old, making its natural and undisputed expertise in the aerospace sector available to those who aspire to operate in the third dimension.” Then, addressing the newly qualified young people, he urged them never to forget “the importance of operating with unity of purpose, with the desire to work together. That teamwork – the General recalled – which, as a famous American writer said, is the fuel that allows ordinary people to achieve extraordinary results. In this sense, all of us are a small cog in a larger mechanism that allows us every day to ‘take off’ and fulfil the noble task of defending the skies of our Italy, protecting our people, and allied and friendly countries.”.

After the presentation of wings and pilot badges to all the young attendees, a moment marked by a flypast of a formation of four MB 339 trainer aircraft from the 61st Wing, the Minister of Defence, Guido Crosetto, took the floor. “Today's event,” said the Minister, "is a fundamental milestone in your lives, a milestone on a doubly difficult path: because you have chosen to serve the country, in uniform and flying. It is a great responsibility, because behind every uniform there is the State, of which you are a valuable part. Thank you to all of you, and to your families who have supported you, for having chosen to defend the country and to help it evolve daily thanks to your skills.".

Following, after the meeting between the authorities and the young patent holders, a concert was held - in the same venue as the ceremony - by the Band of the Command of Air Force Schools / 3rd Air Region of Bari, open to the public. This event – particularly in the year of the Italian Air Force centenary – aimed to underscore and strengthen the very close bond between the city of Galatina and the Salento military airport, one of the leading institutions nationally and internationally in the field of military flight training. The air base is, incidentally, named after an heroic pilot from Galatina, Fortunato Cesari, who died in the war in East Africa during a flying mission.