The MB-339PAN aircraft of the Frecce Tricolori will be flying across Canada and the United States throughout the summer. Their return has been anticipated for over thirty years: the last overseas experience of the PAN dates back to the Columbus 92 tour, during the celebrations for the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America.
Departing on June 10 from Rivolto Air Base (Udine), after a transfer lasting over four days with several technical stops in the Netherlands, Scotland, Iceland, Greenland, and Canada, the Frecce Tricolori landed in Los Angeles, California, where on July 4 they participated in the celebrations for the arrival of the Italian Navy ship Amerigo Vespucci. The NAT 24 tour serves as an opportunity to renew the friendship between the air forces of Italy and the United States, which share a century-long history of traditions and common values.
A team of military personnel and transport aircraft from the Italian Air Force is also part of the tour, providing necessary support to the MB-339s of the Frecce Tricolori during the long transfer flight from Italy and ensuring logistical support and transportation of personnel and materials to the various show locations.
The highly anticipated 2024 North America Tour of the National Aerobatic Team will see the ten ponies of the Italian Air Force – as the pilots of the Frecce Tricolori are called – performing until the end of August in various cities across Canada and the United States, bringing the Tricolor and Italian excellence overseas through a packed schedule of flyovers and displays at air shows. This overseas return of the National Aerobatic Team has been awaited for over thirty years: the last experience was the “Columbus 92” tour, during the celebrations for the 500th anniversary of the European discovery of America. The Frecce Tricolori will fly over Chicago on the morning of July 27, then head to Milwaukee to participate in the WaterStone Bank Air and Water Show on July 27-28.
“With the arrival of the Frecce Tricolori in Canada, where in the coming days we will celebrate the 100th birthday of the Royal Canadian Air Force with our friends, the 2024 North America Tour of the National Aerobatic Team begins. Bringing aircraft and crews so far from home, through a transfer flight that reached the Arctic Circle, is a demonstration of teamwork and the projection capabilities of the aerospace tool that have been in the DNA of the Italian Air Force since its founding, an armed force serving the country for over a hundred years, and through the Frecce Tricolori, ambassadors of these values,” said the Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, General Luca Goretti.
“We are truly excited to return after many years to these places where there is a large Italian community that lives and feels nostalgia for Italy every day, and who the Frecce Tricolori will thrill with their maneuvers and the longest Tricolor in the world over the most iconic locations in North America. Through the Frecce Tricolori,” concluded General Goretti, “we want to bring the values and identity of an Armed Force of men and women who every day, with cohesion, team spirit, professionalism, dedication, and sacrifice, contribute to the security of the skies.”
The tour will be a unique opportunity for thousands of aviation enthusiasts overseas to admire the skills of the Frecce Tricolori, an excellence also sealed by the Guinness World Record as the military aerobatic team that performs with the most aircraft (10 in total).
The tour includes stops in New York, Washington, Chicago, and Los Angeles, as well as other locations in the United States and Canada where the Frecce Tricolori will once again thrill the audience, unfurling the longest Tricolor in the world as a testament to the professionalism and passion that have always distinguished the Italian Air Force and the Frecce Tricolori. The North America Tour will conclude at the end of August with one final thrilling display in Ocean City, Worcester County, Maryland.
In addition to the aerobatic displays, this tour will also be an important opportunity to promote Italy and its excellences. The Italian Air Force with the Frecce Tricolori will indeed be Italian ambassadors worldwide for an iconic season, showcasing the Made in Italy brand, a window to display our military aerospace expertise in a training activity that involves all the capabilities of the Italian Air Force.
It is possible to follow the Frecce Tricolori tour in real-time on the Italian Air Force’s social media channels to stay updated on the stops and to experience the tour through their stories.
