The activities of the Salento detachment were illustrated to the students of the “Euclide” Aeronautics branch of the Transport and Logistics Technical Institute in Bari. On Tuesday, 11 March, students from the 4th and 5th year aeronautics classes visited the Meteorological and Radiosonde Station, as part of their studies relating to the curriculum on meteorology, concerning atmospheric parameters and weather forecasting.
At the Meteorological Station, visitors were shown and told about the instruments used daily by the meteorological staff for measuring and recording ground-level weather parameters, such as: the pluviograph, barograph, anemometer, thermo-hygrograph, and heliophenograph.
Visitors also witnessed the launch of the weather balloon and the subsequent processing of the transmitted weather data, discovering through the illustrations provided by the weather personnel, the various stages that characterise the creation of meteorological forecasts. On Tuesday, March 25th, students from the 3rd and 4th year Logistics classes became aware of the reality of the Air Terminal Operation Centre (ATOC) recently established at the Salento department. At the ATOC hangar, immediately after receiving instructions on the activities carried out by the personnel,“Movement & Transportation”(M&T), visitors were able to witness, live, the preparation of a cargo pallet according to air transport standards and regulations. Finally, it was possible to visit the warehouses of the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD), managed by the WFP (World Food Programme), which Italy has hosted since 2000 at the Brindisi Detachment and at the former San Vito dei Normanni (BR) USAF base. From these facilities, the first emergency aid departs, capable of reaching crisis zones within 24-48 hours, with the aim of assisting populations in countries affected by natural disasters or complex emergencies. After the welcome greetings, the visits continued with an informative briefing on the institutional tasks of the AM and the activities carried out at the Base. On this occasion, students were provided with specific information on how to enlist in the Air Force.’The Institute, “Euclid” has already been collaborating for years with various structures of the Air Force”, – stated Professor Marco Tramontin, a lecturer at the Euclide Institute – “the only ones that offer a concrete link between classroom theory and practical experience at operational and logistical centres such as the Brindisi Airport Detachment, to broaden and complete the training of young cadets in the field of meteorology and logistics, as well as in other professional disciplines such as air traffic control and air navigation”.
“Such visits – the professor continued – They therefore have a dual purpose: on the one hand, to show how the preparation and study of professionalizing disciplines are necessary, and on the other, to provide a hands-on experience of how specific knowledge translates into operational activities aimed at offering a service to the civil community and not just the military. All this allows for strengthening the motivation of the students to engage more and more in their studies and to help them better understand the military world, to which students often look as future opportunities for professional fulfilment.”.
