in December of that year the 103° Gruppo
underwent its first NATO tactical evaluation.
In March 1960, the 14° Gruppo was also
moved to Treviso, but the two G.91 squadrons
remained under two different wings until
September 1, 1962 when the Reparto Volo
Caccia Tattici Leggeri (RVCTL – light tactical
fighters group) was activated, as part of the
51a Aerobrigata.
Further changes came on October 1, 1964
when, at Treviso, the 2° Stormo was activated,
receiving both 14° and 103° Gruppo from the
RVCTL. In 1963, with the delivery of G.91R/1
to both squadrons, the General Staff decided
to re-assign the pre-series G.91 to the Frecce
Tricolori aerobatic team, in order to re-equip
them with an Italian aircraft.
The first two G.91PAN arrived at Rivolto on
December 28, 1963 and the first air show with
the new aircraft was performed in April 1964.
The following year, with deliveries of the last
batch of G.91R/1Bs, a third squadron (fourth
if you take into account the aerobatic team)
began conversion. This was 13° Gruppo, still
flying the F-86E. Transition started at Treviso
in February 1965; in summer, the unit was
moved to its new base at Brindisi where, on
September 1, the squadron was officially
placed under the control of the air base
command.
On September 1, 1967 at Brindisi, the 32°
Stormo was activated and the 13° Gruppo
passed into its control.
In October 1969, the 103° Gruppo
celebrated achieving 40,000 flying hours on
the type, while in October 1973 the whole 2°
Stormo celebrated 100,000 hours on the G.91.
In the same year, the 13° Gruppo of 32° Stormo
left its R models to convert onto the new G.91Y.The first squadron to abandon the G.91
was the ‘Frecce Tricolori’, which since January
1982 started to receive the new Aermacchi
MB.339 trainers, while its last G.91s were
retired in April. The surviving G.91PANs were
then re-assigned to the 2° Stormo at Treviso.
In May 1987, the 2° Stormo attained the
200,000 flying hours, but from the following
year it was no longer subjected to the annual
NATO evaluations. It was the beginning of the
end.
On January 1, 1989 103° Gruppo was
moved from Treviso to Istrana air base and,
after few months, started its conversion onto
the new AMX fighter-bomber. In 1990, it was
the turn of 14° Gruppo, and the final flight of
a G.91R/1 was recorded at Treviso on April
7, 1992 performed by MM.6413 (code ‘2-15’)
wearing a special livery for the occasion.
General Giorgio Podestà (ret’d), who flew
about 3,600 hours in G.91R and T, in about 15
years of service, said of the R model: “Beyond
the initial difficulties, to control the aircraft
became natural, but always remembering that
the flight had to be managed with continuous
concentration, with respect to the parameters,
with humility, and always following the flight
safety rules.
“Training was aimed to qualify in CAS
missions, near the first lines and supporting
the friendly troops. The R was a good aircraft
for the AM because it was able to guarantee
the build-up of generations of pilots, a
high level of training, and also to bear the
operational commitments of the Cold War
scenarios.
“It didn’t have remarkable qualities, from the
combat capabilities point of view, and it was
not technologically close to the other combataircraft of its period, but just for this reason
the results attained came directly from the
high level of training of the pilots. This aircraft
had limited warload capability and thus it was
necessary to train in the close formation flight,
in order to have more effectiveness on the
target. The attack formation was always made
by four aircraft and was the basis for all the
missions, in the flat terrain, as well as in the
Alps.”G.91T
From the beginning of the NATO G.91
programme, it was decided to have a two-
seater version, essential for type conversion
and operational conversion of the pilots.
Fiat produced two pre-series aircraft, largely
based on the G.91R version, but featuring
an enlarged fuselage, lengthened by 55in
(140cm) to accommodate a second cockpit,
and a higher fin. The new aircraft, designated
G.91T, was armed with only two M3 machine
guns, to save weight.
However, the maximum take-off weight
was 13,326lb (6,050kg), about 1,211lb (550kg)
higher than the G.91R/1.
The first aircraft (NC.1, MM.6288) made its
maiden flight on May 31, 1960 from Turin-
Caselle, piloted by Simeone Marsan. It was
followed by NC.2 (MM.6289) and by the initial
series samples. The AM signed a first contract
for 40 G.91T/1, with deliveries starting in 1964.
Later, the total order was raised to 101, by the
addition of 61 aircraft in different batches.
The Reparto Sperimentale Volo tested
the G.91T/1 between October 1961 and
September 1962. With the start of series
production, the first machines were again
assigned to the RSV in April 1964, for the
OT&E phase.
In that August, the first aircraft arrived at
Amendola, home of the Scuola Volo Basico
Avanzato Aviogetti (SVBAA – Advanced Basic
Jet Training School), which had to replace the
old T-33A in its three squadrons: 201°, 204°
and 205° Gruppo.
The first students started their training on
the new aircraft in May 1965. In the following
years, the SVBAA maintained an average of
50 aircraft on charge, producing about 15,000
flying hours per year. G.91T/1 were used for
the advanced training, leading to the award of52 Aviation News incorporating Jets February 2018A 13° Gruppo G.91Y (MM.6486, 32-04) at Sigonella in May 1992, during the NATO-run Exercise Dragon
Hammer. Riccardo NiccoliG.91 serial MM.6261 (code 51-261) from 103° Gruppo of 51a Aerobrigata taking off from Aviano
air base, during the 1964 airshow. Italian Air Force – Troupe Azzurra via Niccoli48-54_fiatDC.mfDC.mfDC.mf.indd 52 08/01/2018 16:40