General S.A. Silvano Frigerio presides over the handover ceremony between the incoming Colonel Alessandro Fiorini and the outgoing Colonel Marco Boveri
It was held on 13 July at the hangar “Pagans”, inside the military airport home to the 72nd Wing of Frosinone, the change of command ceremony between the Group Captain Marco Boveri (outgoing) and the Group Captain Alessandro Fiorini (incoming). At the ceremony, presided over by Air Squad General Silvano Frigerio, Commander of the A.F. Schools / 3rd Air Region of Bari, the highest civil and military authorities of the area participated.
Colonel Boveri, after greeting the authorities and guests present, during his farewell speech, thanked the Commander of the Schools and of the 3rd Air Region for his trust and valuable guidance and welcomed the incoming Wing Commander, placing particular emphasis on thanking all the personnel of the 72nd Wing with a specific mention addressed to the pilot instructors Alright regulars: “The sharpest images in my personal photo album are the expressions—often tired from hard work, yet also satisfied and happy—of our instructor pilots after they have fulfilled their mission of training and shaping new helicopter pilots. Our young people come from diverse backgrounds, the Armed Forces and State Armed Corps, as well as foreign countries, blending together in an amalgamation of passion, shared aspirations, and the sharing of higher values.”.
During his speech, after thanking the authorities present, the press in attendance and Colonel Boveri, Colonel Fiorini addressed the personnel of the Wing, saying: “Imprint upon me your consolidated experience and professional skill built over decades devoted to training helicopter pilots of the Italian Air Force, the other Armed Forces, the State Armed Corps and foreign countries.
Next, addressing the Commander of the AM Schools/3rd A.R., he said: “General Frigerio, I can only thank you and the Italian Air Force for the trust you have placed in me by assigning me the role of Commander of this prestigious Unit. The present time requires the right attention so as not to compromise the future projection of the tradition and professionalism of the 72nd Wing: to you I shall offer the same straightforward, honest and positive collaboration that I ask of my personnel today”.
Addressing the outgoing Commander, Colonel Boveri, General Frigerio expressed his satisfaction with the excellent teamwork carried out together with the men and women of the Stormo with commitment and passion for the accomplishment of the assigned mission.“A unit that has become a benchmark for flight training not only nationally but also internationally; suffice it to say that since its foundation to the present day the School has issued nearly 5,000 pilot licences – in addition to pilots from the Italian Air Force, other Armed Forces and the State armed corps.”.
And extending heartfelt best wishes to the incoming Commander, Colonel Fiorini, he remarked: “The change of Command, while maintaining continuity in the sharing of values and ideals that represent the pillars upon which our Armed Force is based, guarantees – at the same time – new vigour and energy, the result of the different backgrounds and experiences of the succeeding commanders. Col. Fiorini, to whom the Command insignia and the traditions of the Wing have been handed over – with the symbolic passing of the Flag – is now called upon to make his contribution and I am certain that he will be able to carry out an accurate, pragmatic and intelligent command.
The 72nd Wing of Frosinone, the only school in the rotary-wing sector in Italy, is the Unit that trains helicopter pilots for the Italian Air Force, other Armed Forces and State Armed Corps, as well as foreign trainees. The inter-service and inter-agency synergy developed in the field of training at the Frosinone Helicopter School forms part of the perspective of continuous improvement of training and concurrent optimisation of resources.
