On Monday, May 23, during a flight piloted Lt. Col. Alessandro O., commander of
the 212th Flight Group, the 61st Wing passed the milestone of the first 1,000
hours flown by the T-346 aircraft supplied to the air force. The main players
of this significant event -- the instructors of the 212th Group, students,
specialists, Leonardo-Finmeccanica staff stationed in Galatina and a staff
representative of the Flight School – celebrated the event. The story of the T-346 in the Italian air force
began in August 2014, when the first type qualifications were issued to the
Wing’s pilots. On October 2 of the same year, the first training mission was
flown on aircraft with a "temporary" registration by two of the
school’s instructors. On Feb 26, 2015 Col. Paul Tarantino, the Commander of the
School, took delivery at Venegono of the first of the production aircraft
assigned to Galatina Air Base.
This was followed by the training of the
school’s instructors which continued until October 8, when the first Phase IV
students, the Lead In Fighter Training (LIFT) candidates, began flying on the
aircraft – ground courses had started in the previous August). Since last November, the school has also started training
pilots of the Polish Air Force, which has also acquired the T-346. This achievement does not, however, have just a symbolic
value. All of the unit’s activity, where flight safety and security are always
prime considerations, has achieved concrete results, as during these initial
1,000 flight hours 8 pilots qualified and instructors on the T-346.
At the same time, the training procedures were validated on a new,
specific Phase IV of the T-346 flight training syllabus. Also completed was the
first LIFT on the new machine for four Italian student pilots, all graduating
to the latest generation of fighter aircraft. Finally, for the first time, in
February 2016, the Italian jet trainer took part for the first time in the
multinational exercise held at the Tactical Leadership Programme in Albacete,
Spain. The Italian-built T-346 is used for the training phase IV, the
introductory one that prepares pilots for combat aircraft; its technological
characteristics and performance, together with the ultra-sophisticated
associated simulation systems, enable a substantial increase in the quality of
training provided to student pilots.
FONTE: Aeronautica Militare Italiana
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