Lieutenant Colonel Stefano Vit has handed over command of the 313th Acrobatic Training Group to Lieutenant Colonel Massimiliano Salvatore.
Tuesday, 28th November, held at the hangar of 313th Aerobatic Training Group “Frecce Tricolori”, the ceremony for the change of command at National Acrobatic Patrol, between the Lieutenant Colonel Stefano Vit, outgoing Commander, and the Lieutenant Colonel Massimiliano Salvatore, Incoming Commander.
At the ceremony, presided over by Air Division General Luigi Del Bene, Commander of Combat Forces, The highest military and civil authorities of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region participated.
As is tradition, the ground ceremony was preceded by a symbolic handover in flight; an event that only takes place on the occasion of a change of command and therefore represents a rarity in the Frecce Tricolori's aerobatic programme.
The two pilots, along with the rest of the formation, performed a series of manoeuvres until Lieutenant Colonel Vit separated from the formation, leaving the wingmen under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Salvatore, the new Commander of the Frecce Tricolori.
In his farewell speech, the Lt. Col. Vit has encapsulated the emotion of the numerous years spent in the ranks of the Frecce Tricolori., starting in 2012 as a subordinate, then as Head of Training and finally, from 2021, as Commander.
Thanking the men and women of the Frecce Tricolori for the work carried out alongside him and his family for their daily support, Lt. Col. Vit wished to underline the importance of the mission assigned to the 313th Group, stressing how it in fact constitutes “the business card of an Italy that, working in synergy, achieves results admired worldwide”.
Upon taking command, the T.Col. Salvatore, 25th Commander of the Frecce Tricolori, he insisted on the concepts of “Trust and tradition”, defining them as the beacon that will guide his command action.
In the closing remarks, the Air Division General Luigi Del Bene pointed out how the Frecce Tricolori, thanks to a formidable Team game, that we have brought our precious contribution in an extraordinary year such as the centenary of the Air Force.
The ceremony was an opportunity to read out the’Solemn commendation collective taxed by Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Squadrone General Luca Goretti to the 313th Aerobatic Training Group.
It 313° Aerobatic Training Group, this is the official designation of the Frecce Tricolori, is a Flight Section of the Italian Air Force made up of around 100 military personnel, whose task it is to represent the capabilities of the entire Armed Force.
From 1st March 1961, the date of its formation at Rivolto (Udine) Air Base, the National Aerobatic Team, which recently concluded its 63rd season, has the honour of representing, with its spectacular aerial aerobatics, the over 40,000 men and women of the Air Force and the values they uphold every day: cohesion, teamwork, professionalism, dedication and sacrifice. This makes it a symbol of our Armed Forces and of Italy in the world.
