Mercoledì 15 settembre il passaggio di consegne con il Col. Zampella, alla presenza del Gen. S.A. Ferro, Vice Comandante della Squadra Aerea Il Colonnello Zampella, nel suo discorso di commiato, ha ricordatol’intensa attività di supporto operativoal31° Fighter Wing degli Stati Uniti ed il consolidamentodei rapporti con le Istituzioni civili presenti sul territorio. Il Generale Ferro, nel corso del proprio intervento,ha evidenziato come “l’aeroporto di Aviano sia una realtà che, per quanto di dimensioni contenute e ancorchè non direttamente coinvolta in attività operativa di prima linea, costituisce uno strumento di assoluta rilevanza quale raccordo e sostegno per le forze aeree statunitensi di stanza ad Aviano, notoriamente di dimensione, capacità operativa e volume di attività tra le prime in Europa”. Il Colonnello Zampella si appresta a ricoprire l’incarico di Comandante del Reparto Servizi Tecnici Generali presso l’Accademia Aeronautica di Pozzuoli (Napoli).
Colonel Cappelli, born in Siena in 1965, joined the Italian Air Force in 1984 on the ‘Drago IV’ course at the Accademia Aeronautica, graduating in 1988 with a degree in Aeronautical Science from the University of Campania's Federico II University. In 1990, he was assigned to the 102nd Group of the 5th Rimini Wing as a pilot of F-104 fighter-bombers. After converting to Tornado aircraft, he was assigned to the Royal Air Force Base in Cottesmore (UK) as an instructor. He comes from the Operational Air Force Command (COFA) in Poggio Renatico (Ferrara) where, from 2003 to 2010, he held numerous positions and in2006 he was appointed Chief of the Exercise Office of the same High Command, taking on the task of planning, managing and conducting all the exercises of the Armed Force. In October 2004, he graduated in Political Science from the University of Trieste and since 2006 has been teaching at the Institute of Aeronautical Military Sciences (ISMA) in Florence on the subject of ‘Doctrine and Organisation of the Air Force’. He has over 2,000 flying hours to his credit, mainly in F-104 and Tornado aircraft. He is married and has two children. Aviano Airport's mission is to guarantee national sovereignty and oversee the application of bilateral agreements regarding the presence of USAF units stationed at the airport.
