Frecce Tricolori Flypast Over the Philadelphia Museum of Art

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Story and photo by Daniel O. Myers

The Frecce Tricolori’s North American Tour included participating in ten air shows along with sixteen flyovers. One of those flypasts took place on Monday morning August 12, following the New York Air Show, over Center City and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

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In 1923 the Italian Air Force became an independent branch of the Italian military. For the past sixty-three years, their national aerobatic team – the Frecce Tricolori – has visited forty-nine countries spread across four continents. Now in their 64th season, the team has dubbed 2024, “100+1”.

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Consisting of ten MB.339 aircraft, the Frecce Tricolori represent the skills and values of the Italian Air Force and are the world’s largest military aerobatic team. Unlike their U.S counter parts flight demonstration teams, there is no consistency in how a Frecce Tricolori Pony (pilot) advances and moves within the formation. This year’s pilots have been on the team from two to nine years, two are first year. The 2024 Solo Pony has been on the team for 12 years! Some, but not all, will move to another jet-number position. All Solo pilots will eventually become Formation Leader.

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With red, white and green smoke trailing, and #11 photo-chasing, the ten jets opened by flying up the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, up the Art Museum steps and low over the museum building. Never out of sight of the several hundred spectators that had gathered on the art museum steps to watch, the team returned to fill the sky with their signature three-colored smoke trails as they several times crisscrossed the city skyline. Reappearing from behind the art museum, the aerobatic formation flew down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway before departing the city the same way they had entered.

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With Rocky Balboa looking on, the Frecce Tricoloti showed Philadelphia why they are quintessentially Italian. Ciao. Arrivederci!

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