The Undersecretary of State for Defense of the Slovak Republic, Marian Majer, accompanied by the Ambassador of Slovakia to Italy Karla Wursterová, visited the 61st Wing, the international flight school based on the military airport of Galatina (Lecce). The guests were welcomed by the Air Team General Silvano Frigerio, Commander of the Air Force Schools / 3rd Air Region, and by Colonel Filippo Nannelli, Commander of the 61st Wing.
After the ritual greetings, Colonel Nannelli illustrated, during a briefing, the history, mission and wide educational offer of the school, remarking, on the one hand, the experience accumulated in over 75 years of flight training, on the other, the use of highly technological systems, all of national production, unique in the world.
The visit continued at the facilities dedicated to the preparation of pilots for the “fighter lines”: inside the Ground Based Training System, the building that houses the “ground” segment of the Integrated Training System (ITS) T-346A, the platform used to train future “fighters” pilots, whose Live, Virtual and Constructive capabilities aroused particular attention. (LVC), not only allow the visitor to be able to train in extremely complex synthetic environments, but even manage to connect the simulators to the T-346A in operational activity, creating a network in which virtual aircraft, aircraft actually in flight and other synthetic tracks processed on the computer, carry out joint missions.
Tradition and innovation, therefore, a mix that makes the Flight School of Galatina an international showcase of ” Made in Italy” in the field of military pilot training and explains the interest of the air forces around the world in a Department that through its professionalism is one of the most significant expressions of the ability of the Armed Forces to be at the service of the country.
“The activity represented, once again, a precious opportunity to make known to other countries, in this case the Slovak Republic, the national qualities and capabilities in the field of flight training” said General Frigerio on the occasion, continuing: “We are aware of representing excellence, thanks to the introduction of increasingly modern tools and training processes and conformed to the latest generation weapon systems. We are also proud that so many countries from all over the world are attracted by this extraordinary innovative scope of the training system in use by the 61st Wing of the Italian Air Force”.
The 61st Wing, which depends on the Command of the Schools A.M./3rd Air Region of Bari, is a “flight school” whose primary mission is to provide training and training on jets of student pilots. In particular, at the Salento air base there are courses of phase II “Primary Pilot Training” (selection of the flight line of future assignment), phase III “Fighter Track” (military pilot license for those who will fly on the fighter lines) and phase IV “Lead In-to Fighter Training” (preparatory to advanced training on combat aircraft). Currently the 61st Wing hosts staff (instructors and / or students) from eight foreign countries: Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Austria, Japan, Greece, Qatar, Singapore and the United States.
