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Seniors Day 2009 at Alenia Aeronautica

On October 31, 2009, the Alenia Aeronautica Seniors Group organized prize-givings for personnel with 20, 25 and 30 years of service with the company. Personnel with 35, 40 and 45 years of service took also part in this 34th edition of the event.

The Pomigliano d'Arco plant hosted the prize-giving for some 400 new seniors working at the Capodichino, Casoria, Foggia, Nola, Rome and Pomigliano factories.

The ceremony for the “northern” plants (Turin and Caselle) was held at the Caselle South Flight-Test Center, in Hangar N° 71. A total of 46 employees reached 25 years of service, 122 reached 30 years and a substantial number received their golden pin for 20 years of service.

At the Caselle South plant (“the Campo Volo”), a large and comprehensive static display, including most aircraft types now in production or undergoing updating was one of the highlights. Among those on dispay were five Spartans (the first and the second C-27J for Romania, the third C-27J for Bulgaria, and two more for Greece), a brand new EF 2000 fighter (C.S.X7301) destined to the Italian Air Force, a Panavia Tornado IDS (36-50/M.M.7085), a single-seat AMX ACOL fighter bomber (51-64/C.S.X7184), the first ATR 42MP Surveyor for the Nigerian Air Force, the third ATR 42MP Surveyor for the Italian Coast Guard, the Sky-X jet-povered remote-controlled demonstrator (I-EASB) and the mock-up of the Sky-Y MALE UAV.

In 2008, the static display of the Senior Day included a venerable Douglas C-47D. Recently, after careful restoration and painting, the historic aircraft as been placed on pylons (without any official ceremony) as the gate-guardian of the "civil side" of the Turin airport.

Due to low ceiling, the usual flight display was scheduled before the formal part of the event. An EF 2000 series aircraft made low passes in unusual tight formation with the Company’s C-27J demo aircraft. A flawless roll of the Spartan concluded the flight programme.

In the picture: The Typhoon-C-27J “strange-pair” during their flight display on October 31, 2009, at Turin/Caselle airport. (Aeromedia)

(Aeromedia, October 2009)