The meeting was chaired by General of B.A. Amedeo Magnani and Brigadier General Scott J. Zobrist. After the welcome address by the Commander of Aviano Airport, ‘Pagliano e Gori’, Colonel Luca Cappelli, the meeting began with the presence of the Inspector for Flight Safety, General of the Air Force Amedeo Magnani and Brigadier General Scott J. Zobrist, commander of the 31st Fighter Wing of the US Air Force at Aviano. In addition to representatives of the Flight Safety Inspectorate, the meeting was attended by personnel from the US Embassy in Rome and other Italian entities where American flight components are present, including Sigonella, Vicenza (US Army) and Capodichino (NA). The meeting, aimed at fostering cooperation between the two countries in the field of Flight Safety and to promote greater awareness of the level of safety and the accident prevention issues related to the U.S. flight components that use the national airspace and air bases, fully satisfied the participants with the results achieved. Various topics and issues addressed related to the flight activities of U.S. aircraft on national territory, among which it was emphasized the importance of maintaining high safety standards while persevering in the prevention of all inconveniences that have an impact on flight safety. On this occasion, the peculiarities and limitations of overflight over the Italian territory regarding protected areas, densely populated areas, industrial areas, numerous archaeological and religious sites were reiterated. Before the start of the works, a minute’s silence was observed to remember Major Lucas “Gaza” Gruenther, pilot of the 31st Fighter Wing, who died last January following a flight accident during a training mission over the Adriatic Sea. The JFSRG, established following the “Tricarico-Prueher” Report regarding operational flight activity, signed in 1999 between the Italian Air Force and the United States Air Force, constitutes an important forum for discussion to jointly address specific issues related to Flight Safety in Italy and improve cooperation to prevent incidents related to flight activity.
