Wednesday 16th March handover ceremony between outgoing Lt Col Calligaris and Lt Col Russo.
Lieutenant Colonel Calligaris recalled all the successes achieved by the Group thanks to the deep commitment of all the personnel, towards whom he expressed his sincere gratitude. He also recalled the presence at the ceremony of the contingent that is just departing to reach the operational theatre and relieve their colleagues.
Upon taking up his post, Lieutenant Colonel Russo assured his fullest commitment to continuity in maintaining the Group's utmost operational efficiency. He also extended a special greeting to the men of the GEA not present at the ceremony, as they are currently engaged in Afghanistan on the difficult ISAF mission, in which the unit has been at the forefront for a year and a half.
At the end of the ceremony, Colonel Garettini thanked Lieutenant Colonel Calligaris for the high professionalism, passion, and generosity shown during his long period of command and extended his best wishes to Lieutenant Colonel Russo for the significant commitment he is about to undertake.
The Aircraft Efficiency Group of the 51st Wing was established on 1st October 2005 as the subsequent evolution of the Aircraft Maintenance Group, which was itself created as a prototype of the Armed Force's new peripheral maintenance system. The GEA is directly subordinate to the Commander of the 51st Wing. The GEA's tasks are to ensure the operational efficiency of the AM-X aircraft assigned to the Department. The Group's personnel are highly qualified and professional thanks to continuous training and vast experience gained during numerous deployments and exercises undertaken in Italy and various countries worldwide, such as: the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Turkey, the United States, Canada, England, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Spain, France, Belgium, Poland. Currently, the Group is operational in Afghanistan supporting the ISAF mission. Furthermore, the Group has also been involved in the delicate phase of historical restoration of ‘rare pieces’ of aeronautical history, such as the Macchi C.200 and the F-84G on display at the Historical Museum of the Italian Air Force in Vigna di Valle (Rome), as well as the recovery and restoration of an F-100 aircraft, currently a ‘Gate Guardian’ at Aviano Airport (Udine).
