Page 26 - World Airshow News Autumn 2024

...tHE ItALIAN WAy.

The Frecce Tricolori 2024

Pony 0 – LtCol. Massimiliano Salvatore (Commander)
Pony 1 – Maj. Pierluigi Raspa (Leader)
Pony 2 – Capt. Luca Pozzani (First left wing)
Pony 3 – Capt. Leonardo Leo (First right wing)
Pony 4 – Capt. Alessandro Sommariva (Second left wing)
Pony 5 – Capt. Simone Fanfarillo (Second right wing)
Pony 6 – Maj. Franco Paolo Marocco (First slot)
Pony 7 – Capt. Emanuele Bernuzzi (Third left wing)
Pony 8 – Capt. Giovanni Morello (Third right wing)
Pony 9 – Maj. Oscar Del Do’ (Second slot)
Pony 10 – Maj. Federico De Cecco (Solo)

One of the most impressive maneuvers flown by Pony 10, The 2024 Frecce Tricolori pilots (Frecce Tricolori/Aeronautica Militare photo).
the solo, is the tail slide (photo by Joe Letourneau).

total jets airborne and nine jets in the main formation (which giant flag, the team flies a wide, nine-plane “Vee” formation that
often breaks into two smaller formations of four and five jets creates a significant distance between the wingmen on the far left
each), coordination of rejoins demands specific attention. To and far right of the formation. Furthermore, to allow the tri-col-
achieve this feat of coordination, Pony 1, the overall team ored smoke to hang in the air, the pass is flown at relatively slow
leader and leader of the five-plane formation, focuses on the speed, with gear and flaps extended, flying a fairly steep and wide
track of the aircraft over the ground and turning smoke on and arc in front of the audience. Lt. Col. Salvatore said that this slow
off. Pony 6, the leader of the four-plane formation coordinates speed presents several challenges for Pony 1, who must set the for-
the rejoins. These layers of leadership during the team’s per- mation’s speed within a narrow 20 knot window. Too fast and the
formance further demonstrates Col. Pietropaoli’s emphasis on pilot flying the wide arc on the far right of the formation might ex-
teamwork. ceed the gear transition limit. Too slow and the pilot on the inside
of the arc will be close to stall speed. It’s sort of like threading an
A LOmCEvAK IN A JEt? aerodynamic needle, but the Frecce Tricolori makes it look easy.
How about the Frecce Tricolori’s two impressive solo ma- The Frecce Tricolori manage to fly formation aerobatics in an
neuvers, the lomcevak and the tailslide? Lt. Col. Salvatore ini- entirely unique fashion – marrying highly precise and complex
tially flew with the team as Pony 10, the solo pilot, so he was formation aerobatic flying with a passion for drama and perfor-
quick to note that no other jet aircraft in the world performs mance that is unmistakably Italian. No one who witnessed their
the lomcevak. He explained that the maneuver is especially North American performances in 2024 will soon forget them. Let’s
challenging given it begins with a vertical roll to the left, which hope we do not have to wait another 32 years to see the red, white,
then rapidly transitions into the nose tracking violently to the and green smoke of the Frecce Tricolori in the skies over North
right. I mentioned that many observers I spoke with thought America.
the Frecce Tricolori’s lomcevak was better than some done by Graci Frecce Tricolori!
traditional propeller-driven aerobatic airplanes – aircraft theo-
retically better-suited to such a maneuver. Lt. Col. Salvatore Special thanks to Maj. Giovanni Lopresti, Lt. Col. Deborah Corbi,
grinned and said, “I’ve heard the same thing.” Col. Stefano Pietropaoli, and Lt. Col. Massimiliano Salvatore of the
But even the famous Italian flag pass requires far greater Frecce Tricolori and the Aeronautica Militare.
airmanship than it might appear at first. In order to paint the

www.airshowmag.com 26 Quarter 4, 2024