On Thursday 9 June, the handover ceremony took place between the outgoing Major Pasqua and the incoming Major Schiattoni, in the presence of Colonel Vestito. The ceremony, presided over by Colonel Francesco Vestito, Commander of the 6th Wing, took place in the Communications Squadron’s hangar in the presence of the unit’s military and civilian personnel, as well as family members and ‘former members’, personnel who have served with the 102nd Group over the years. In his farewell address, Major Pasqua stated that the Group’s mission had been carried out successfully both nationally and internationally, in times of peace and crisis alike, in complete safety, with consistent professionalism, a spirit of sacrifice, tenacity, humility and loyalty. After approximately two years as Group Commander, Major Pasqua will take up the post of Course Commander at the Air Force Academy, thereby continuing to oversee the training of young officers in the Armed Forces. On taking up his new post, Major Schiattoni pledged his utmost commitment to ensuring continuity in maintaining the Group’s maximum operational efficiency in terms of training and standardisation. Addressing the personnel of the 102nd, the organisation’s greatest asset, he asked them to continue to serve with honour, commitment, loyalty and professional dedication, striving for excellence in training. At the end of the ceremony, Colonel Vestito thanked Major Pasqua for the high level of professionalism, generosity and passion he had demonstrated during his two years in command, emphasising the cohesion and resolve with which the Group had operated on a daily basis under his leadership,never shirking operational duties, and earning the utmost esteem and respect for having continued to train future generations of Tornado pilots, despite the ongoing crisis in Libya. He extended his best wishes to Major Schiattoni for the great challenge he is about to undertake, highlighting his professional qualities and abilities, as well as his interpersonal skills. The formal handover was followed by the symbolic in-flight change of command, a training exercise scheduled as part of the Wing’s programme. The aircraft, commanded by Major Pasqua and Major Schiattoni respectively, swapped positions as the lead aircraft in a formation of five Tornados.
The 102nd Flying Group was established on 1st May 1942 under the command of the First Air Force Squad at Lonate Pozzolo (Varese) airfield. After various redeployments and participation in numerous operational missions, in July 1956 it was transferred to the 5th Fighter Wing in Rimini, operating the F-104 ‘Starfighter’ fighter and accumulating over 100,000 flight hours. On 13th September 1993, the Group was transferred to Ghedi military airfield, receiving the first example of the PA200 ‘Tornado’ all-weather fighter-bomber. From September 1998, with the closure of the Tri-national Tornado Training Establishment (TTTE) in Cottesmore (England), the 102nd Flying Group assumed the new role of ‘Operational Conversion Unit’ (OCU), thus beginning to train pilots and navigators from Flying Schools on the use of the Tornado aircraft. For the first time, during 2011, the overall duration of the Conversion Course was reduced to 6 months compared to the previous 8/10 months, without however affecting the training quality.
