“Our National Acrobatic Patrol turns 62 today. On 1 March 1961, the Frecce Tricolori of the Air Force were born in Rivolto. Since then, faces and equipment have changed, but not passion and dedication: the same as that of our Armed Forces. Happy Anniversary!’.
So the Secretary of State for Defence, Guido Crosetto, on the anniversary of the Frecce Tricolori.
The premises for the creation of PAN, the National Acrobatic Patrol, are dropped on 1 March 1961, at the air base of Facing, at which the Air Staff provides for the establishment of Special Acrobatics Nucleus, (from 1 July 313° Aerobatic Training Groupwhich, according to the Italian Air Force, is intended to refine pilots' specific training while preventing their valuable experience from being diluted.
The new department, named Special Unit, was established at Rivolto, just a few kilometres from the stretch of Campoformido that had seen the birth of the first aerobatic patrols in the late 1920s. The original core around which the Unit developed was the patrol of the 4th Air Brigade, already designated as training “owner” for 1961. The aircraft with which, on 1 March, the first six assigned pilots arrive at Rivolto all have the emblem on their tail of “Prancing Horse”.
