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The following pictures were taken at Gioia del Colle in Sept. 2004 during a 2 day visit I made to prepare an article that was published on Rivista Aeronautica (that you can read here in Italian). They are interesting because in that period, the local based 36° Stormo was made of 2 Gruppi on 3 aircraft types: the 156° Gruppo, equipped with the Tornado IDS, and the 12° Gruppo, that was returning the Tornado F.3 leased by the Royal Air Force (but was still flying them) and was converting to the SMI (Slow Movers Interceptor) role with the MB-339CD, “on loan” from the 61° Stormo (212° Gruppo).

A few months ago, I published a photostory, named “A day in the life of the 9° Stormo of Grazzanise“, an article to provide a snapshot about the 9° Stormo and Grazzanise airbase in a day of 2003. The story contained almost all the pics I shot on that day, not just a selection of the most significant ones. The following one is a day spent in Cervia at the beginning of 2004, a few months after the first F-16 of the 23° Gruppo / 5° Stormo arrived in Italy, for a report that was published by Rivista Aeronautica (that, you can read in Italian, here: “Il 5° Stormo….la tana delle Vipere”).

In Jan. 2006 I went to Rivolto airbase to visit the Frecce Tricolori and to report about the Winter Season and the training activities performed by the pilots of the display team. Here’s the full article (in Italian) that I wrote for Rivista Aeronautica: Alla scoperta delle Frecce Tricolori. During the visit, I had the possibility to fly with Col. Tarantino (who was “Pony 0″, the Commander of the team) an acrobatic 2 ships training mission. During the flight I had the possibility to pilot the MB.339, performing formation looping, roll over, etc. and then I was showed by Tarantino some famous maneuvers, like the Lomcovak and the Tail Slide. During the orientation mission, flying with Maj. Cavelli in the other aircraft was the photographer of the Frecce who took the following interesting pictures of my experience with the Italian display team.
To read the full article, click the following link: http://cencio4.wordpress.com/2009/03/21/flying-with-the-frecce-tricolori-in-the-training-season/

On Apr. 3 2008, the last of 4 Italian Air Force B.707TT of the 8th Gruppo made its last operative flight during the build up phase of the Spring Flag Exercise. The aircraft, serialled MM62151, using c/s I-2151 with 67 people on board carried to Decimomannu 4 pallets of material and equipment. 23.000 FH have been flown in the last 16 years all around the World in both air-to-air refueling (AAR) missions and transportation. The aircraft, originally purchased from the TAP airlines, will be replaced by the KC-767A, a military version based on the Boeing 767-200ER version, that the ITAF has bought in 4 examples. The delay in the delivery of the new tanker (initially scheduled to be delivered in 2006) compelled the ItAF to extend the operative life of 2 of its B707 for another 2 years (the other B707s were sold to the Omega Air), with the Boeing company paying for the cost of the maintenance of the aircraft. The KC-767A, that has recently lost the KC-X competition with the KC-30 (based on the Airbus A-330) for replacement of the USAF KC-135 and KC-10, should be delivered to the 14th Stormo at the beginning of the 2009; in the meanwhile the Italian crews will train on a B767 provided by Boeing (an aircraft that not having any AAR capability) that will allow the 8th Gruppo pilots to acquire a basic training on the new type.

To read the full report of a flight on board a B707 during an air-to-air refueling mission click here: http://cencio4.wordpress.com/works/agip25/

On Mar. 11, 2009, I visited the flight line of the 311° Gruppo of the Reparto Sperimentale Volo, the Test unit of the Aeronautica Militare Italiana (Italian Air Force, ItAF), inside Pratica di Mare, the largest italian military airport. Accompayned by Maj. Igor Bruni, one the RSV pilots (and the MB339CD display pilot in the past two years), I spent a few hours on the “PB” apron of the Sperimentale where I was able to observe the daily flying activity. The flight line had many aircraft parked or being prepared for sorties: MB.339A, MB.339CD, C-27J, C-130J, NH.500E, Tornado IDS, AMX-T ACOL, Tornado ECR, AB-212 . More or less the majority of the aircraft types in service with the ItAF were in the flight line of the squadron. Recovered inside a hangar was also an interesting aircraft I was not allowed to photograph but that is far from being a secret addition to the RSV fleet: read here. A few missions were flown during my stay. In the early morning, the MB.339A CSX 54453/RS-30 departed to perform a flight inside the R-62 area. In the front seat a former 23° Gruppo pilot recently assigned to the 311° Gruppo was performing a sort of “orientation flight” with Maj. Giacomo “Jack” Iannelli on the back seat. Later, the MB.339CD MM55091/RS-32 also departed for a local sortie, followed by the C-27J CSX 62219/46-87. Before noon, both MB.339 (1 CD + 1 A) took off to perform a training mission together.