75 years Scuola Volo

On 10 September 2021, the Aeronautica Militare (ItAF, Italian Air Force) celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Scuola Volo (Flying School or better, Flying Academy) at Galatina near Lecce in Puglia.

The air base, located in the southern peninsular section of the country, is today home of the 61° Stormo, controling the Flying Academy.

The Military Airport of Galatina (Lecce) was established on 31 March 1931, by decree of the Italian Minister of Defence Italo Balbo, as 'Campo di Fortuna' (an airport used in case of an emergency) and was initially named after Captain Pilot Antonio Ramirez who died in a flight accident near Capua on 28 April 1930.

From 1936 the airport took a more permanent status and in 1938 it was named after the Fortunato Cesari, a pilot born in Galatina and died during the war in Ethiopia on 8 November 1936. In the first phase of World War II, the airport became a strategic base for operations in the Balkans and the Mediterranean.

After World War II, the airport was assigned to a Scuola Volo and ever since provide training for the achievement of the Military Pilot License and flight training on jet aircraft. Nowadays, there are four phases and a training for military pilots to be qualified as Pilot Instructor. The Flying Academy is responsible for Phase II to Phase IV.

Phase II: common to all student military pilots, is aimed at identifying the future destination of the student (fighters, RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft), helicopters, transport)
Phase III: aimed exclusively at student pilots selected to be fighter or RPA pilot, ends with the achievement of the Military Pilot's License
Phase IV: preparatory to subsequent use on fighter aircraft (the course is called Lead In to Fighter Training - LIFT)

The training activity of the 61° Stormo is not only aimed at student pilots of the Italian Air Force, but also on other Italian Armed Forces and allied/partner countries (in all flight phases according to the requests of each country).

To carry out these tasks, the Scuola Volo is organised according to an order structure that provides, in addition to three Flight Groups, a Crew Training Centre, a Logistics Department, the Aircraft Efficiency Group, the Corps Infirmary, the Forces Protection Group, an Administrative Service and the staff organs characteristic of a Flock.

The following squadrons are controlled by the 61° Stormo:

212° Gruppo Volo. This unit manages Phase IV, the 'pre-operational' training of military pilots suitable for aerotactic lines. This training phase, carried out with the Leonardo (former Aermacchi) T-346A Master, is an indispensable period to ensure the necessary capacity level before the start of operational conversions at the lines dedicated to air defense, support for ground troops, reconnaissance and advanced defense.
213° Gruppo Volo. This unit has the task of obtaining the Military Pilot License (Phase III - Fighter Track), the Turreted Eagle, to the young students selected for the combat lines, and carries out its activity using the Aermacchi MB339CD.
214° Gruppo Volo. This unit carries out phase II of flight training on Aermacch MB339A and trains flight instructors for use on jet aircraft of the Italian Air Force (PIT Course).

The anniversary saw some nice specials colored tails representing the three Gruppi (Squadrons) with Leonardo T-346A Master MM55215/61-10 representing 212° Gruppo Volo ‘i Bianchi’, Aermacchi MB339CD MM55065/61-131 representing 213° Gruppo Volo ‘i Verdi’ and Aermachi MB339A MM55465/61-116 representing 214° Gruppo Volo ‘i Rossi’.

Photos by Raffaele Fusilli via aviation-report.com