Between 2003 and 2004, Piercarlo Ciacchi, a former F-104 pilot currently flying with the Frecce Tricolori display team, produced a series of videos he took flying with the Starfighter from Grazzanise, where its squadron, the 18° Gruppo, was temporary deployed. The following one is dedicated to the world famous 9-99, the red special colour of the 9° Stormo; the first and only Starfighter in special colour scheme ever made by the wing based in Grazzanise. The video is titled “Un aereo speciale” (“A special plane”) and you can watch it all by clicking the below image:
David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.
The first two Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets, initially stationed at Morris Air National Guard Base, Tucson, to support pilot training, have now been transferred to Slovakia. The arrival of the first two F-16 […]
Greece formally accepted an offer for 20 F-35A Lightning II jets with an option for an additional 20 aircraft. On July 25, 2024, the Greek government formalized its decision to procure 20 Lockheed Martin F-35 […]
The Italian Air Force has emphasized since last year that it requires more F-35A and F-35B jets. Public data indicates that it may eventually acquire 20 additional Lightning II aircraft. Last year, the Italian Air […]