Italian Air Force teaches high school students to fly
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| Italian Air Force U-208A trainer aircraft assigned to the 60th Wing flying over Verona, Italy. |
The Italian Air Force, thanks to an agreement with the Italian Ministry of Education, recently offered students from the city of Verona, Italy, to experience two weeks as a "Top Gun". This experience was part of the Corso di Cultura Aeronautica (Aeronautical Culture Course), held by the 60° Stormo (60th Wing), which was attended by about 100 high school students from 18 to 28 October.
With this course, the first of the year, the Italian Air Force also wanted to give a strong signal to restart the education program after a stop of almost two years due to Covid. For over thirty years, the Service has offered thousands of young people the opportunity to approach aviation through a concrete flight experience.
As usual, the course was divided into two phases: during the first week the young students followed a cycle of theoretical lessons on the basic aerodynamic principles of flight, the instruments of the aircraft, flight safety and hints to meteorology and air traffic control. Subsequently they were subjected to verification tests that allowed the first classified the opportunity to fly a real plane.
During the second week, the students went to the Boscomantico airport, Verona, to personally test the experience of flying aboard the SIAI S-208M (U-208A) dual-command training aircraft. They were accompanied in this unique experience by the expert Pilot Instructors of the 60th Wing.
We at Blog Before Flight had the opportunity to board the back seat of one of the four U-208As during the final day of practical activities. Speaking with the student sitting next to the pilot we realized how these courses represent an unforgettable experience for young people, helping them to learn about flying or to realize their dream. The emotion of the girl, who dreams of becoming a military aircraft pilot, was palpable. Once seated in the cabin, she promptly identified all the main instruments and their functions, as a result of what she had learned in the previous days.
Under the guidance of the expert instructor, the student took over the controls of the aircraft in some phases of the flight which included a series of tight turns and the formation flight of four aircraft.
All participants were given a certificate of attendance, which assigns a merit score in some competitions of the Italian Air Force. The top two finishers will also be able to spend a few days at the 60th Wing, based at the Guidonia Airport, in the Province of Rome, to fly aboard the Twin Astir two-seater glider.
With this course, the first of the year, the Italian Air Force also wanted to give a strong signal to restart the education program after a stop of almost two years due to Covid. For over thirty years, the Service has offered thousands of young people the opportunity to approach aviation through a concrete flight experience.
As usual, the course was divided into two phases: during the first week the young students followed a cycle of theoretical lessons on the basic aerodynamic principles of flight, the instruments of the aircraft, flight safety and hints to meteorology and air traffic control. Subsequently they were subjected to verification tests that allowed the first classified the opportunity to fly a real plane.
During the second week, the students went to the Boscomantico airport, Verona, to personally test the experience of flying aboard the SIAI S-208M (U-208A) dual-command training aircraft. They were accompanied in this unique experience by the expert Pilot Instructors of the 60th Wing.
We at Blog Before Flight had the opportunity to board the back seat of one of the four U-208As during the final day of practical activities. Speaking with the student sitting next to the pilot we realized how these courses represent an unforgettable experience for young people, helping them to learn about flying or to realize their dream. The emotion of the girl, who dreams of becoming a military aircraft pilot, was palpable. Once seated in the cabin, she promptly identified all the main instruments and their functions, as a result of what she had learned in the previous days.
Under the guidance of the expert instructor, the student took over the controls of the aircraft in some phases of the flight which included a series of tight turns and the formation flight of four aircraft.
All participants were given a certificate of attendance, which assigns a merit score in some competitions of the Italian Air Force. The top two finishers will also be able to spend a few days at the 60th Wing, based at the Guidonia Airport, in the Province of Rome, to fly aboard the Twin Astir two-seater glider.
SPECIAL TAIL
Two of the four aircraft involved in the course wore a special tail to celebrate the Italian pilot Arturo Ferrarin. Just last September the hometown of Ferrarin, Thiene, celebrated the centenary of the Rome-Tokyo raid (one year late due to the restrictions for Covid-19), carried out by the Italian pilot in 1920. Arturo Ferrarin's is it was a historic feat that is still considered legendary today: with his biplane made of wood and canvas, the Italian ace covered 18,000 km in stages, in 109 hours of flight. The link with the 60th Wing is no coincidence, the flight departed from Guidonia airport.
The author and Blog Before Flight would like to thank the Italian Air Force Press Office for having authorized the activity and the Captain Pilot Stefano D'Imperia from 60th Wing for his kind collaboration.
Report by Matteo Sanzani
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