Five biplanes dive down into their targets. The head of the group noses up and makes a full loop, while the others fringe off while turning upside down, only to dive down once more. Their trajectories criss cross those of other planes of the formation: it is the 8th of June 1930 and la bomba — the bomb, a figure bound to become legendary, is performed for the first time.
The Pattuglia Acrobatica Nazionale (PAN), was born in 1961, in Rivolto, at the very heart of Friuli Venezia Giulia and only a handful of miles from the Campoformido airport where, in 1928, the idea that acrobatic flight was to be part of military pilots’ training originated. Only through aerial acrobatics they could gain the mastery, sensibility and coordination needed in all flying situations.
In almost 60 years of existence, the Frecce Tricolori have been often called to highlight a number of significant moments in the history of our country @ Aeronautica Militare
The first six pilots assigned to the new unit showed a Cavallino Rampante (a prancing horse) on their planes, a symbol still there today, while they sketch with green, white and red smoke the Italian flag in the sky during fabulous, spine-tingling performances.
L’Italo-Americano interviewed Gaetano Farina, the 23rd Frecce Tricolori Commander. Born in 1979 in Puglia, more precisely in Francavilla Fontana (Brindisi), he studied at the Accademia Aeronautica di Pozzuoli and got a degree in Political and Aeronautical Sciences. He then attended the NATO School in Sheppard (Texas), where he obtained his military pilot license. F16 pilot in the 18mo Gruppo Volo del 37mo Stormo di Trapani, in 2010 he joined PAN where, in only 8 years, he became the head of Italian aviation’s most spectacular unit.
Gaetano Farina, commander of the Frecce Tricolori, at work on his craft @ Aeronautica Militare
Frecce Tricolori are a symbol of Italy. They are the 2nd of June, the 4th of November, the Altare della Patria and our Tricolore sketched high up in the sky. They are the Inno di Mameli and our most patriotic sentiments. You are not “only” extraordinary pilots…
In almost 60 years of existence, the Frecce Tricolori have been often called to highlight a number of significant moments in the history of our country, with their white red and green smoke. Probably, this tradition brought Italians to consider the National Acrobatic Patrol one of the symbols of our history. While this awareness carries with it the weight of responsibility for the role we are assigned, it also fills us with pride, as it gives us the opportunity to be custodians of a heritage that represents every Italian.
Frecce Tricolori’s team, led by Gaetano Farina (Centre) @ Aeronautica Militare
You are in charge of Italy’s most famous acrobatic unit. What does this mean to you and your peers, beside an enormous amount of training hours?
As a commander, I realize every day how lucky I am to be in charge of such an amazing group of men and women. Its strength, the thing that more than any other characterizes the Frecce Tricolori, lies in the way we work together: in team work. Everyone of us, while flying and while on the ground, offers his or her indispensable contribution to reach our objective.
Frecce Tricolori are a symbol of Italy
Your 2019 program counts 30 performances both in and outside of Italy. for an Italian living abroad, seeing the green-white-red smoke of the Frecce Tricolori is a bit like going back home, like flying with you to Italy.
Performing in front of our fellow Italians abroad is always special: the warmth and pride they manage to give us with their enthusiasm is vibrant, a feeling difficult to describe. Meeting them after flying is always exciting, an experience that has no equals because it manages to awaken that feeling of national pride that is within us all. And it does it every time. In that very moment, we are the link connecting these people with the country they love, even if far away. It’s an incredible feeling, that pays us back for every sacrifice we make to accomplish our mission.
The Pattuglia Acrobatica Nazionale (PAN), was born in 1961, in Rivolto, at the very heart of Friuli Venezia Giulia @ Aeronautica Militare
Part of your work is about training and education, which can also take place abroad. You, in particular, trained in the US. What kind of experience was it?
A military pilot’s education is a complex and very demanding path, that develops through a series of training steps, all important because they add something to the final result. In this sense, experiences abroad are an immense wealth because they allow you to come face to face with systems and professionals different from your own habitual reality. I remember my training in the US fondly: a time when I learned a lot from a professional point of view, but that helped me develop also personally, because I got to know a reality so different from what I was used to. It’s an experience that really gave me a lot.
Italy’s Frecce Tricolori during a performance @ Aeronautica Militare
PAN is team work, because you all work towards the same objective. How do you become part of the unit and what does being a team mean?
The Frecce Tricolori team sees pilots leaving and new ones arriving every year. We like to say that the interpreters change, but our amazing music score remains. Just like in an orchestra, the interaction among all elements determines the results more than single performances. For this reason, being an expert pilot is not enough to be part of PAN, you especially have to demonstrate to be a team worker. All pilots asking to be part of the unit are assessed to understand how well they would fit within the existing group: we’re talking about great professionals of our national Aviation, with no less that 750 hours of flight on high-performance aircrafts. This is our starting-point guarantee, which allows us to concentrate the selection process especially on each candidate’s attitude to be part of a team.
Acrobatic flight is characterized by technically complex figures, performed with apparent ease at an incredible speed. How do you create hearts, arrows, fans and sparkles? Who thinks of them and how do you get to actually perform them, as a group, with such precision?
The Frecce Tricolori’s flying program is the result of almost 60 years of history. During this period, a number of figures have been added, the last being the Scintilla Tricolore, the tricolored sparkle.These figures are first created and studied on the ground by the whole team and then tested in flight, starting with the figure’s key aircraft, then adding all the others. We continuously strive to reach precision, which is achieved thanks to daily training based on trust, an invisible connection among all the pilots of the unit.
What’s in your mind when you see those people down below, all staring up mesmerized by your performance?
While we fly, we are fully concentrated on our maneuvers, there is no space for emotions. Once we finish, however, we truly feel the warmth and enthusiasm of the public. Realizing we touched people’s heart makes us even prouder to represent the Aeronautica Militare and Italy.
Many children dream of becoming pilots. You realized this dream: what do you feel to say to these kids?
Never mind what dream you have, you should never allow anything or anyone to distract you from realizing it. Reaching your goals and making your dreams come true require constant commitment and sacrifice: there’ll be problems and difficulties, but you need to persevere and never give up. The results will be incredibly fulfilling.
Adults, who are probably more aware of what your work involves, look at your performances with equally enthusiastic and admiring eyes. What are, on the other hand, the emotions of those flying and why have you chosen PAN?
The idea itself of flying brings emotions in the heart of every man, because it brings us in a different dimension, one that is not natural to us, because we win over gravity. I think that acrobatic flying is yet another step on this road, because you can literally dance in the air. Professionally speaking, choosing to be part of the Frecce Tricolori was especially a challenge for me. I had the opportunity to test myself in a totally different context from the operative unit where I used to fly, I had to start anew, to challenge myself. Moreover, flying with PAN also means to have the honor to represent many fellow pilots, who every day serve our country and, more in general, to represent Italy as a whole.
What’s your relationship with fear and with the beauty of your job?
Fear is typical of human nature when we face something we don’t know. Training has exactly the aim of eliminating this factor, so we can be in charge and handle every situation. Once this facet of our job is under control, we can fully enjoy the beauty of flying and of the extraordinary emotions it can give.
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