Page 18 - PROTAGONIST 119

The Frecce Tricolori flying over Venice for the 100th anniversary The Frecce Tricolori are the world’s largest military aerobatic team,
of the death of Francesco Baracca and also during the
50th anniversary celebrations for Ferretti Yachts
and universally recognized as the most prestigious. It is no surprise that it
boasts 135 officially recognized fan clubs throughout the world—Canada

and the Emirates included.

The Frecce Tricolori, the Italian National Aerobatics Squadron, I got here, I took the same route as all the other pilots who are
officially known as the 313th Aerobatics Training Team, were admitted to the Frecce Tricolori. After finishing my training at
formed on March 1, 1961 at the military base in Rivolto, Friuli the Air Force schools, I was assigned to one of the jet units. After
Venezia Giulia. The pilots are chosen from the jet operations accumulating more than 700 hours of flying time, I was eligible
units of the Italian Air Force to take the commands of the ten sin- to take part in the selection process for the Aerobatics Squadron.
gle-engine MB339 jets: nine main formation members and one
soloist. The planes are nicknamed “ponies” and numbered from CC: Other than technical training, what are the indis-
1 to 10. The Frecce Tricolori are the world’s largest military aero - pensable elements for becoming part of the Frecce Tricol-
batic team, and universally recognized as the most prestigious. ori, and for becoming the commander?
It is no surprise that it boasts 135 officially recognized fan clubs GF: The selection process is not limited to assessing the pilot’s
throughout the world—Canada and the Emirates included. The flying skills, but also his ability to integrate into the team, which in
team has been led by thirty-nine-year-old Major Gaetano Farina our case is almost like a family. New recruits spend a week work-
of Apulia since November 2018. He has been asked to share his ing with the team. This is crucial for gaining a clear view of the
experience in the aerobatic team, the Italian pride of the skies. man and the professional: the person’s adaptability to life in the
Frecce, which demands a strong propensity for teamwork and a
Cesare Capa: The Frecce Tricolori are a worldwide aer- great capacity to handle criticism. To give you an example, every
onautical benchmark. What is it that makes them so unique? flight the team makes, whether exhibition or training, is filmed
Gaetano Farina: The great esteem they enjoy internationally and we watch the video as soon as we are back on the ground: any
is the outcome of our group’s nearly sixty years of history. I think individual errors are immediately visible to the entire team and
this is the key characteristic of the National Aerobatics Squadron. the ability to accept criticism is fundamental to improving.
These deep roots help us stay true to our core values, which are
mutual respect, discipline, trust, and, more generally, teamwork. CC: Has technological progress changed the way the
team flies?
CC: As a child, did you dream of being a military pilot? GF: The program has only been slightly modified, with a
GF: Actually, my greatest ambition was to be an engineer. I few additions over time, growing more out of the experience and
took the entrance exam to the Aeronautics Academy as a dare, I creativity of the pilots than technological progress. We like to
wanted to put myself to the test. At the time I did not know how say that the players have changed, but the music hasn’t. And the
deeply I would fall in love with what now has become my world. Frecce Tricolori do their aerobatics exclusively by sight, without
the help of technological supports that help maintain positions
CC: What does it mean to you to be part of the world’s or distances in the formation.
number one aerobatics team and how did you get there?
GF: I don’t like ranking aerobatics teams: we fly different CC: Rivolto, in Friuli, is home to the Frecce Tricolori: tell
patterns with different aircraft, and the characteristics of those me about life on the ground between one show and another.
aircraft have no small influence on the figures that we are able to GF: Our year is divided into two periods. During winter,
do. When we get together with other squads at air shows around from November to April, we fly from the Rivolto airfield every
the world, I like to think we are all part of the same show, with- day to prepare for the aerobatic season. The new inductees
out stars and co-stars. Having said this, of course we are proud train to become part of the team, while those who have flown in
of the admiration expressed every day in Italy and around the previous seasons work on new positions. The objective is to be
world, especially when we hear our fellow Italians say that seeing ready by the first of May, which is when we traditionally close
us lay the colors of the Italian flag on the sky makes them proud the training period and begin the aerobatic season. In this phase
to be Italian, because this is a core part of our mission. As for how we are deployed away from Rivolto almost every weekend, and

16 Skies Protagonist Protagonist Skies 17