On November 15, at Girolamo Moscardini Airport in Frosinone, home of the 72nd Wing of the Italian Air Force, the first “Samba” reunion was marked by an Elephant Walk performed by 12 TH-500B helicopters in four formations of three.
The Elephant Walk involves a series of taxiing maneuvers, takeoffs, formation flyovers, and landings aimed at enhancing the operational capabilities of personnel through the extensive use of aircraft, demonstrating high line efficiency.
The TH-500B helicopter fleet, with over 200,000 flight hours, has been employed for nearly 35 years for the basic training of all helicopter pilots of the Italian Air Force, Armed Forces, State Corps, and foreign countries. “Samba” is the radio call sign assigned to the instructors of the 72nd Wing for over 60 years.
Colonel Alessandro Fiorini, Commander of the 72nd Wing, which is hierarchically under the command of the Italian Air Force Schools Command/3rd Air Region, expressed gratitude in his welcome speech to the reunion attendees, many of whom were former commanders who contributed to making the Frosinone Wing what it is today.
The inter-force and inter-agency synergy developed in training at the 72nd Wing’s flight school aligns with the goal of continuous improvement in training and resource optimization.
TH-500B helicopters
The TH-500B is a lightweight, single-engine, five-blade training and liaison helicopter renowned for its high operational flexibility and versatility, employed by the 72nd Wing since 1990. The aircraft is equipped with advanced and sophisticated avionics systems and was selected by the Italian Air Force in a configuration that enables comprehensive training capabilities.
In addition to training missions, the TH-500B can undertake various roles, including SAR operations, personnel, cargo, or casualty transport, rescue operations, base and military installation defense, weapons training, reconnaissance, observation, and liaison tasks. It is capable of operating on water surfaces with fixed floats and on snow-covered terrains using dedicated snow skis.
Article and images: Raffaele Fusilli