In Emilia Romagna, as well as the National Aerobatic Team, the return of flight displays by the Experimental Flight Department and demonstrations by two Eurofighters from the 4th Wing of Grosseto
Two days of fun, passion and pure adrenaline. The Rimini Air Show on Saturday 18th June and the Tricolore Air Show in Punta Marina (Ravenna) on Sunday 19th marked an extraordinary weekend for the Italian Air Force.
Two air shows characterised, both, by huge crowds that packed the Romagna coastline, storming the exhibition areas of the Armed Force, with entertainment simulators and promotional stands, eager to follow, with bated breath, the breathtaking manoeuvres of the aircraft and helicopters of the Italian Air Force.
Much appreciated is the return – as regards the Rimini Air Show – of the Experimental Flight Test Wing as well, which, following the two-year halt imposed by Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, has resumed flight demonstrations of some of its aircraft.
“We really wanted the Sperimentale on board too – commented the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Squad General Luca Goretti – finally we have succeeded and it is a wonderful fresh start, in an equally wonderful location like Rimini. I thank all the citizens and the organisers, starting with the Commander of the 15th Wing and the volunteers of Anvam (National Association of Air Force Vigilance), retired airmen who give us a huge hand in managing what happens on the ground. We offer the population the best of ourselves, with the National Aerobatic Team, the 15th Wing and the RExperimental Department. They represent the Italian Air Force and I am truly pleased and proud of them, because they manage to convey to boys and girls, to young people and to all the people who come to see us the spirit of a winning team, as‘is the Italian Air Force.
The two air shows were opened by the tricolour flag carried, to the notes of the national anthem, by an HH-139 helicopter of the 15th Wing, based right in the nearby municipality of Cervia.
Following fly-pasts and flight demonstrations by civilian aircraft, parachutists, and helicopters from other Armed Forces and State armed corps, the eagerly awaited displays by the National Aerobatic Team have finally arrived.
The “Frecce Tricolori” thrilled the public with the 18 manoeuvres of their display routine, tracing lines and curves in an extraordinarily blue sky with their white and coloured smoke, right up to the embrace of the final Alona, with the immense tricolour measuring over six kilometres long drawn to the notes of the Turandot.
It was a moving experience also for the Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Stefano Vit, in his first season as Pony 0: “For many years I experienced these Air Shows from inside the cockpit, focused on the performance – commented – Now, finally, I can also enjoy the show and, above all, I can feel and ‘touch’ the emotions, see people's faces, the tears on the faces of women and children. It's something that moves even me, after so many years. The finale, in particular, with this long, immense Tricolour accompanied by the unforgettable voice of Luciano Pavarotti, gives you the chills, it's truly a wonderful image of Italy.
On Saturday the 18th in Rimini, the crowd was also delighted by the flight demonstrations of the C-27J, T-346A and Eurofighter aircraft flown by the pilots of the Experimental Flight Department of Pratica di Mare (Rome); on Sunday the 19th of June, however, in Punta Marina (Ravenna), on the occasion of the 104th anniversary of the death of Francesco Baracca, among the protagonists were two Eurofighter jets from the 4th Wing based in Grosseto which, with the ace of aces of Italian aviation, shares the symbol of the famous Prancing Horse.
The “Dardo” [Darts] of the 4th Wing, invited by the Lugo di Romagna Aero Club, the event's organiser, treated the audience in Punta Marina to an extraordinary demonstration of several manoeuvres typical of the various phases of intercepting a “hostile” aircraft or one in difficulty as part of an Air Defence operation to protect national and NATO airspace.
On the same morning of 19 June, to celebrate the anniversary of the death of the Romagna ace, General Goretti attended a commemoration ceremony, laying a wreath in front of the monument dedicated to the great aviator in Lugo di Romagna, the pilot's birthplace, Gold Medallist for Military Valour and hero of the First World War. Then, accompanied by local authorities, he visited Baracca's house, which is now home to a museum dedicated to him.
“The Italian Air Force – concluded General Goretti – It is a highly technological Armed Force with its sights set on the future, yet the future is built upon the substance and strength of tradition. Baracca is the foundational element of our traditions; his spirit, culture and training enabled a young pilot to give his utmost in the skies and achieve victories that shaped the history of aviation. Baracca and the other pioneers of that era represent milestones for the youth and the future of the Italian Air Force. I therefore simply had to come here to pay homage to him and his prancing horse, with admiration, pride and gratitude. A dutiful gesture as we look towards the centenary of the founding of our Armed Force.
