We had the chance to speak with the senior officer at the head of the Italian delegation, Colonel Stefano Pietropaoli. He was delighted with the welcome from his compatriots both at the military base and in the rest of the region.
“Despite this warm welcome, we were only outside the base for 15 or 20 minutes. But we promise ourselves in the coming days that we will take the time to visit the region.”
— Colonel Stefano Pietropaoli, officer at the head of the Italian delegation
The tour that the Frecce Tricolori – the Tricolor Arrows in Italian – have started will take them to a few other air shows in Canada, namely Trenton in Ontario and Cold Lake in Alberta. A few passages in the skies of Montreal, Ottawa and above Niagara Falls are planned in the stages to celebrate the centenary of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). As well as above Edmonton and Vancouver. Next, this tour will take the Italians to the United States.
Colonel Stefano Pietropaoli is at the head of the Italian delegation present at the Bagotville International Air Show, which will then leave on a North American tour. (Paul-Robert Raymond/Le Soleil)
At the end of the tour, the Frecce Tricolori will make another visit to Bagotville during the month of August when they will return to Europe. “We will stop for another two days here,” announced Colonel Pietropaoli.
The crossing to Canada was made via Iceland, Greenland, as well as Newfoundland and Labrador. It is a safe bet that the Aermacchi MB-339 planes of the Italian team will repeat the same route for the return.
Spirit of collaboration
Colonel Pietropaoli was impressed by the ease of communicating with their Canadian counterparts. “We work the same way. Even if we don’t have the same devices. It was very easy for us to be here and to be supported by all the people at the ARC. And it’s wonderful to be able to speak the same language…”, he adds.
The same spirit of collaboration was evident with members of the U.S. Air Force F-35 Demonstration Team. While the ARC will take delivery of its first aircraft within a few years, the American fighter plane has attracted a lot of interest from the Bagotville military since the team’s arrival last Wednesday.
“People here had several questions about the F-35 and we were happy to answer them,” said Master Sergeant Jesse Easiley, technician with the demonstration team.
Nine members including the two drivers are part of this team. Two F-35s are present, including one which serves as a reserve plane in the event of a problem with the first.
