After the success of past year, the "Family Day" for the relatives of the personnel of 34° Gruppo Squadroni Toro was repeated. This aviation unit of the Italian Army is based at Venaria airfield not far from Turin. The main event of the day was again the arrival of a figure, known as the "Befana" (a linguistic distorsion of "Epiphany") portrayed as a witch-like figure parodying the Three Wise Men who brings sweets to good children and coal to the naughty ones. The nose of the same Agusta/Bell AB 205A-1 which brought the "Befana" in 2015 and 2016 bore new "special colours" painted by Warrant Officer Vanzan in collaboration with Rajan Tattoo. The drawing was inspired by the 2002 Ice Age animated movie with the sabre tooth squirrel Scrat trying to catch the elusive acorn. The same helicopter, painted with "Poker Fly special colours", was present on May 6, 2008 on the occasion of the official delivery of the new NH 90 helicopter to the Italian Army at Viterbo air base. Public administration representatives and voluntary associations took part in the event, underlining the liaisons between the 34° Gruppo Squadroni Toro and the surrounding territory.
In the picture: Agusta/Bell AB 205A-1 MM80551 / E.I.299 (c/n 4216) "Ice Age special colours" at the Venaria Family Day on January 5, 2017. (Aeromedia)
(Aeromedia, January 2017)
