At the 6th Ghedi Wing, the certificates for the ‘Limited Combat Ready’ were delivered to the six participants of the 6th C.C.O. (Operational Conversion Course) A200A course. A course structured around a considerable number of important lessons and flight missions that led to the “Limited Combat Ready”Among the four pilots and two navigators, the quality testers will be employed in the flight groups of the 6th and 50th Air Wings, as the Commander of the 102nd Group pointed out: “It is an important milestone because it has cost sacrifices, sweat, toil and sometimes tears; not signs of weakness, but of an immense passion for a unique profession.”. The Commander of the 6th Air Wing, Colonel Di Pietro, in highlighting the commitment, professionalism and determination shown by the “New graduates of operational flight”He wanted to leave them a specific message: “The work we are called to perform is delicate and of great individual and collective responsibility, towards our Armed Forces and the country; in order to carry it out with awareness, a sense of duty, and attentive participation, we must live the interpersonal relationships proper to a Group, with heartfelt and continuous motivation, a sense of balance, and great humility.”. General Gabellini, former Commander of the 102nd Group in the 1998-1999 period and exceptional sponsor of the ceremony, emphasized that the time spent in Ghedi was unforgettable for the invaluable human and professional enrichment, with many sacrifices but also immense satisfactions. These same satisfactions, of course, can be achieved by those who attend the course by putting into practice the teachings imparted to them by their more senior colleagues. The ceremony was then attended by General Nordio who, in thanking the participants‘ families for taking part in the event, wished to renew the invitation to a constant commitment and dedication, considering ‘the “Limited Combat Ready” as a starting point and not an end point”of a prestigious career based on values such as responsibility and strong motivation, emphasizing several times the importance that continuous professional enrichment plays in the operational life of the navigating personnel. The Commander of the Combat Forces then wanted to emphasize the importance of increasing one’s “baggage of technical and professional skills”which must be deep, accurate, and constantly updated.”.
General Nordio, addressing the families again, finally emphasized how crucial is the awareness of the institutional task that “these guys”They will have to honor this commitment in the course of their training activities at the Departments. As usual, this year too, the award of ‘best performer‘, a recognition for the frequent flyer who has distinguished himself particularly for his flight activity, for the missions performed in the simulator and for the results of the study and testing phase.
The ‘Silver Plate‘An silver plate with the effigies of the 102nd Flight Group was given to Flight Lieutenant Pierluigi R. and was handed over by General Claudio Gabellini. The 6th Air Wing, equipped with Tornado IDS (Inter-diction Strike) aircraft, is responsible for maintaining the combat readiness of the flight crews, for cooperating with civil authorities in the event of natural disasters and for ensuring the operational conversion and standardization activities for the flight crews assigned to the Tornado line for their subsequent insertion into the Operational Departments. It is structured into two ’operational‘ Flight Groups, the 154th and the 156th, and a ’training‘ Flight Group, the 102nd. Starting in September 1998, with the closure of the TTTE (Tri-national Tornado Training Establishment) in Cottesmore (England), the 102nd Flight Group has assumed the new role of ‘Operational Conversion Unit’, Thus began the training of pilots and navigators from the flight schools in the use of the Tornado aircraft.
